Taiwan issues first civil defence handbook to give citizens survival guidance amid China threat
April 12, 2022, 7:26 am

Taiwan issues first civil defence handbook to give citizens survival guidance amid China threat

Taiwan's military released a handbook on civil defence for the first time on Tuesday (Apr 12). It gives citizens survival guidance in a war scenario as Russia's invasion of Ukraine focuses attention on how the island should respond to China's pressure (File photo: Pixabay)

The Times of India reported, citing Reuters, Taiwan's military released a handbook on civil defence for the first time on Tuesday (Apr 12). It gives citizens survival guidance in a war scenario as Russia's invasion of Ukraine focuses attention on how the island should respond to China's pressure.

China has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control, and has stepped up military activities nearby in the past two years, to press it into accepting its sovereignty claims.

According to the report, Taiwan's handbook details how to find bomb shelters via smartphone apps, water and food supplies, as well as tips for preparing emergency first aid kits.

Planning for the handbook pre-dates Russia's attack on its neighbour, which has prompted debate on its implications for Taiwan and ways to boost preparedness, such as reforms to the training of reservists.

Taiwan's handbook details how to find bomb shelters via smartphone apps, water and food supplies, as well as tips for preparing emergency first aid kits (File photo: Pixabay)

Liu Tai-yi, an official of the ministry's All-out Defence Mobilisation unit, told an online news conference: "(We) are providing information on how citizens should react in a military crisis and possible disasters to come."

He added, that would enable safety preparedness and help people to survive.

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He said the handbook, which draws from similar guides issued by Sweden and Japan, would be further updated with localised information such as the sites of shelters, hospitals and shops for daily needs.

The handbook uses comic strips and pictures with tips to survive a military attack, such as how to distinguish air raid sirens and ways to shelter from missiles.

The report mentioned that Taiwan has not reported any sign of an imminent invasion planned by China, but has raised its alert level since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, which Moscow calls a "special military operation".

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It noted that President Tsai Ing-wen has vowed repeatedly to defend the island and is overseeing a broad modernisation programme to make its forces more mobile and harder to attack.

Besides the plans unveiled last year to reform training for reserve forces, the government is looking to extend compulsory military service beyond four months.

Source: timesofindia

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Upon arriving to participate in the summit of the European Political Community, which includes around forty heads of state in Budapest, he said, "I look forward to sitting with the elected U.S. president and seeing how we will collectively ensure we meet challenges, including the threats from Russia and North Korea." He also noted that the strengthening of ties between Russia and North Korea poses a threat to the United States as well, according to reports from Agence France-Presse.

Before Trump's victory, Rutte expressed confidence that a united Washington would remain part of the defensive alliance, even if Trump became the 47th president of the United States. In an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF last Monday night, he stated that both Republicans and Democrats understand that NATO serves not only the security of Europe but also that of America. He added that both candidates are aware that the security of the United States is closely tied to NATO.

On Wednesday, NATO congratulated Trump on his victory but did not address the Ukrainian issue.

It is noteworthy that the relationship between the elected U.S. president and the defense alliance was not the best during his first term in the White House. Trump criticized NATO member states multiple times and even hinted at withdrawing from the alliance unless they increased their financial contributions.

Additionally, the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian war is one of the matters that complicate relations between the two sides, especially since Trump has repeatedly stated that he can end this ongoing conflict, which began in 2022, quickly. He implied that he had a peace plan between Kyiv and Moscow, while his vice president, JD Vance, revealed aspects of that plan, which stipulated Ukraine's commitment not to join NATO, thereby sending reassuring signals to the Russians.

Furthermore, many NATO member states in Europe fear that Trump might halt military aid to Ukraine after he previously criticized the U.S. for pouring funds into supporting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.