Lai committee aims to enhance civilian component of emergency response

Taipei, Sept. 26 (CNA) The government will seek to incorporate civilian power to tackle natural disasters and Chinese threats, President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) said Thursday at a newly formed committee tasked with enhancing the country's civil protection system.

Taiwan has been faced with the challenges of China's gray-zone tactics - coercive military, diplomatic and economic actions that fall short of armed conflict - and cognitive warfare, Lai told the first meeting of the Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee.

At the same time, more frequent and larger-scale natural disasters brought about by climate change have also laid bare the pressing need to build a "stronger" and "more resilient Taiwan," Lai said in his opening remarks.

The government must incorporate "forces from civil society" in its efforts to effectively respond to various emergencies while maintaining social order and stability, he said.

It is important that every member of society can be prepared to protect themselves "in times of emergency" and take their best role to "either contribute [to their community] or help deter invading enemies," he said.

He added that when the people of Taiwan demonstrated their preparedness and determination to safeguard the country, "like-minded partners in the international community will be more willing to assist Taiwan in facing various challenges."

According to Lai, the committee will focus on ways to enhance the training and mobilization of civilian forces, streamline the stocking and distribution of strategic supplies, and ensure the protection of energy and critical infrastructure.

Other issues to be addressed include maintaining health care and shelter facilities and reinforcing information and communications technology, transportation and the financial system.

In his report before the committee entered closed-door discussions, Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉), deputy secretary-general of the National Security Council (NSC), said the committee aimed to develop a strategy for mobilizing Taiwanese society in response to serious disasters or emergencies.

Civic participation is "key" to a country overcoming those challenges, Hsu said, adding that the public could play an "indispensable" role in helping the government remain operational, ensuring the uninterrupted flow of critical supplies, and even contributing to military operations.

The NSC official said an estimated 400,000 people nationwide, including active and former substitute military servicemen, volunteers at police stations and fire departments and those from private disaster relief and charity groups, could be brought together for civil protection training and exercises.

In times of need, these trained individuals can be dispatched by their local coordination centers -- to be set up by the Ministry of the Interior in cooperation with local governments -- to perform organized and community-level rescue, medical first-aid and evacuation work, he said.

Proposals and strategies formulated during the committee's discussions will be tested over the next six months to one year, Hsu said, noting that a tabletop exercise was scheduled for December followed by a "small-scale" and "unscripted" drill in a town in March.

The planned exercises are distinct from the annual Han Kuang, Wan An and Min An exercises, but effective practices emerging from them could be incorporated into the existing drills, according to the official.

The Whole-of-Society Defense Resilience Committee is one of the three committees established under the Presidential Office, in addition to the National Climate Change Committee and the Healthy Taiwan Promotion Committee.

Apart from government officials, the committee includes scholars, private company executives, and representatives of civil society groups.

Members of the committee from the business sector include Google Taiwan Managing Director of Sales and Operations Tina Lin (林雅芳), Trend Micro manager for Taiwan and Hong Kong Bob Hung (洪偉淦), and Lin Min-xiong (林敏雄), chairman of the supermarket chain Pxmart Co.

The committee also includes Tan Sin-liong (陳信良), general secretary of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan; Yen Po-wen (顏博文), CEO of the Buddhist Tzu Chi Charity Foundation; and Enoch Wu (吳怡農), founder and head of Forward Alliance.