NGO promotes civil defense awareness with 9-day march across Taiwan

Tainan, Dec. 2 (CNA) Taiwanese promoting civil defense awareness and national unity in the face of China's invasion threat set off from Tainan Monday on the third day of a nine-day relay march from Kaohsiung to Taipei.

"Prepare for civil defense, protect Taiwan!" shouted activists on the Tainan-Yunlin section of the march organized by the Kuma Civil Defense Education Association, an NGO co-founded by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmaker Puma Shen (沈伯洋).

"I hope that during this northward journey, more people and civil society organizations show their support so everyone hears the voices representing Taiwanese, that Taiwan is a sovereign and independent country," said a Hou (侯)-surnamed native of Tainan who attended the full day's journey on Sunday.

More than 50 groups of activists will join in stages to complete the 380-kilometer "Stand Up as Taiwan" march across 13 cities and counties, according to the group's website.

Largely following Provincial Highway 1 along Taiwan's western half, the march route uses train stations as relay points from the south to the north of the country.

The group expects around 1,000 people to gather at the event's final stop at Huashan 1914 Creative Park in Taipei on Sunday.

Established in 2021, the Kuma Civil Defense Education Association, also known as the "Black Bear Academy" or Kuma Academy, aims to "prepare a pre-war mentality for civilians" and "cultivate self-defense capability and will to defend Taiwan," according to the group's website.

Beijing, which has conducted large-scale air and naval exercises in apparent preparation for potential military action against Taiwan in recent years, has threatened individuals associated with the Kuma Civil Defense Education Association.

In October, China's Taiwan Affairs Office put the Taiwanese NGO on an official public list of "die-hard Taiwan independence separatists."

The group's co-founder, Puma Shen, and one of the group's financiers, businessman Robert Tsao (曹興誠), were also denounced by China as "die-hard Taiwan independence separatists" -- a crime potentially punishable by death according to court guidelines published by China in June.