
Taipei, June 13 (CNA) Taiwan's military on Tuesday released a revised version of its first civil defense handbook after the original version faced criticism for being out of touch with reality when it was published in April 2022.
Shen Wei-chih (沈威志), the head of the Ministry of National Defense's All-Out Defense Mobilization Agency, said at a press event that the updated version of the handbook has almost doubled its content and gone from 28 pages originally to 48 pages.
The new version consists of two main parts: "peacetime preparation" and "wartime responses."
It outlines safety measures for civilians during an air raid, major fire, building collapse, major power outage, water shortage, or shortage of essential goods, while explaining basic survival skills and offering emergency hotlines people can call.
Compared with the previous version, Shen said the updated version has far more descriptions of civil defense concepts and offers more detailed suggestions to civilians on how to respond to different types of emergencies to help them survive.
The pamphlet also lists nearby air raid shelters and hospitals and explains how to prepare an emergency kit should a war break out, he said.
The Chinese versions for the country as a whole and different regions are available to download at https://aodm.mnd.gov.tw/front/down.aspx?menu=069&mCate=069
No English version has been issued yet, but the ministry said it would publish one, without saying when.
The handbook was first issued amid concerns over China's intentions toward Taiwan and the possibility that it could launch a cross-strait conflict, but it was widely criticized for being impractical and divorced from reality.
The 28-page 6,000-word original version focused more on identifying which government agencies were responsible for doing what during wartime rather than telling people what to do.
One example was suggesting that people contact the authorities via phone or scan QR codes to access contingency information, despite the likelihood that telecommunications and internet services would be disrupted during a war.
- Taiwan launches first Indigenous Defense Submarine 'Narwhal'President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Thursday presided over the launch of Taiwan's first Indigenous Defense Submarine (IDS) "Narwhal" at a ceremony in Kaohsiung and labeled the event ...09/28/2023 01:32 PM
- Taiwan military to get its first female Political Warfare Bureau chiefTaiwan's military will soon welcome the first female chief of its Political Warfare Bureau following the promotion of Lt. Gen. Chen Yu-lin (陳育琳) to head the agency, a military ...09/26/2023 12:29 PM
- Taiwan's 1st domestically manufactured submarine ready for testingTaiwan's first domestically built submarine prototype will begin underwater testing after it is launched in a ceremony presided over by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Thursday, ...09/25/2023 03:02 PM
- Cross-Strait
Taiwan's new submarine boosts nation's defensive capabilities: scholar
09/29/2023 12:09 AM - Politics
TPP's Ko vows to extend compulsory education from 9 to 13 years
09/28/2023 11:39 PM - Business
Rules on hiring foreign caregiver to be relaxed by October: official
09/28/2023 11:10 PM - Society
- Politics
DPP launches English podcast to highlight geopolitical issues in election
09/28/2023 10:53 PM