Image: Reuters Berita 24 English - In Taipei , Taiwan's capital, and other areas of the island were instructed to remain indoors on Mond...
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| Image: Reuters |
Berita 24 English - In Taipei, Taiwan's capital, and other areas of the island were instructed to remain indoors on Monday for an air-raid drill as the island ramps up preparations in the event of a Chinese attack.
At 1:30 p.m. (0530 GMT), sirens sounded for the required street evacuation drills, effectively closing down towns and cities in northern Taiwan for 30 minutes.
Text messages were sent with a "missile alert" urging people to leave immediately for safety.
Ko Wen-je, the mayor of Taipei, delivered a speech after supervising training for the exercise called Wan An, which is Chinese for "eternal peace," and emphasised that it was important to be ready in case of conflict.
China claims the democratically run island of Taiwan as its own territory and has never disclaimed the possibility of annexing it. Taiwan declares its independence and rejects China's claim of sovereignty.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has reignited discussion in Taiwan about how to respond effectively in the case of an attack, as Chinese military exercises around the island have intensified.
The recent harassment of Taiwan by Chinese military aircraft, as well as the commencement of the Russia-Ukraine war in February, Ko stated, "remind us that we need to be watchful even in times of peace."
Police in Taipei ordered traffic to relocate to the side of the road and advised onlookers to seek cover. To avoid becoming a target in the case of a nighttime attack, stores and eateries locked their doors and turned out the lights.
Firefighters practised extinguishing a blaze brought on by a missile assault.
Thirty minutes later, sirens sounded to signal the all-clear.
Although the United States does not recognise Taiwan as a separate country, it is required by U.S. law to give the island the ability to defend itself, which has increased friction with China.
According to the Financial Times on Saturday, China has privately warned the Biden administration with stern words that there may be a potential of a military response to Nancy Pelosi visiting Taiwan in August.
In Taiwan, it is necessary by law to conduct regular air-raid drills.
Despite not having received any reports of extraordinary Chinese military action, the island has boosted its alert level since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Street evacuation drills will be held this week in other districts of Taiwan. Due to COVID-19, the exercise had been postponed for the previous two years.
Increasing Taiwan's defence capabilities is President Tsai Ing-top wen's priority, and she has stated that only the country's citizens can determine their destiny.
Tsai warned people on Facebook early on Monday not to worry when they all received the text message. "Citizens, kindly evacuate in accordance with the instructions."
