TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A drill simulating a Chinese air raid set for Monday (July 24) in northern Taiwan will stop street traffic for half an hour and members of the public in select districts will be required to enter air raid shelters.
The Wan An No. 46 Exercises (萬安46號演習) will be held in northern Taiwan from 1:30 p.m. to 2 p.m., according to the Ministry of National Defense (MND). Buses and taxis must stop and pull over to the side of the street to enable passengers to head to the closest shelter, and while MRT trains will continue to run, passengers may not leave the stations.
Buses will not leave from stations and YouBike cyclists must park their bikes by the side of the street. City buses can continue driving on freeways, but on city streets they will be asked to park at the side of the road.
The Danhai Light Rail Transit system will suspend operations and passengers must leave the trains and police will guide them to the nearest shelter. Flights at the Taoyuan Airport will operate as usual, but road traffic will not be allowed to depart the airport during the drill.
Unlike in previous years, the drills will be expanded to include an administrative sector of Taipei City, New Taipei City, Yilan County, Keelung City, Taoyuan City, Hsinchu City, and Hsinchu County, where even stricter measures will be enforced. In those areas, drivers must immediately park and, along with pedestrians, follow police instructions and enter the nearest air raid shelter.
In Taipei City, the designated area for drivers and pedestrians to enter air raid shelters is Neihu District, in New Taipei City it is Tamsui District, and in Keelung it is Zhongzheng District. For Taoyuan, the designated area is Taoyuan District, in Hsinchu City it is East District, and in Yilan County it is Yilan City.
(Taiwan News image)
The exercise is divided into four regions: North Taiwan, South Taiwan, East Taiwan, and Central Taiwan. The same rules will be applied in all four regions.
Dates and locations of this year's Wan An exercises:
North Taiwan: July 24
Taipei City, New Taipei City, Yilan County, Keelung City, Taoyuan City, Hsinchu City, and Hsinchu County
South Taiwan: July 25
Tainan City, Kaohsiung City, and Pingtung County
East Taiwan, outlying islands: July 26
Hualien County, Taitung County, Penghu County, Kinmen County, and Lienchiang County
Central Taiwan: July 27
Miaoli County, Taichung City, Changhua County, Nantou County, Yunlin County, Chiayi City, and Chiayi County
Streets of Taipei empty for air raid drill on Monday afternoon simulating Chinese attack on Taiwan https://t.co/RHAUAHEvQz pic.twitter.com/PwVEkaOExd
— Taiwan News (@TaiwanNewsEN) July 24, 2023
