Taiwan puts wartime readiness to the test in urban resilience drill

Taiwan puts wartime readiness to the test in urban resilience drill

2026-08-13

Taiwan is putting its emergency preparedness to the test. The 2026 Urban Resilience Exercises got underway in Northern Taiwan Thursday, simulating everything from the distribution of essential supplies to wartime medical operations. President Lai Ching-te and New Taipei Mayor Hou Yu-ih inspected the drills, which also drew representatives from the US, Israel and Canada. The exercises are aimed at ensuring that even in a crisis, essential government and public services can keep running.

She scans the ID card and checks the list, before putting the supplies in a bag. It’s quick and easy. Northern Taiwan held its urban resilience drill on Thursday, which included an inspection of a supermarket distribution station by President Lai Ching-te and New Taipei Mayor Hou Yu-ih. This year’s exercises are being closely watched by the international community. At the scene was de facto US ambassador Raymond Greene, as well as diplomats from Israel and Canada.

Lai Ching-te
President
Virtue never stands alone. It is bound to have neighbors. We are not alone in facing regional geopolitical challenges. The international community is with us. But we cannot afford to be unprepared. We cannot afford to rely only on outsiders. Each exercise we hold is a boost to our resilience.

Hou Yu-ih
New Taipei Mayor
It’s best to be over-prepared for 100 years without calamity, than to be caught unprepared a single day. Being ready is extremely important.

Officials from the central and local governments learned about civilian supply distribution procedures and oversaw drills to scale back medical services and transfer medical operations underground.

The oncology department on the second basement of Shuang Ho Hospital was turned into a wartime command center, with dedicated areas for pharmacy, surgery and childbirth. Hospital beds were set up in the parking lot one floor below, in case the ground floor is unsafe or if curfew has been imposed.

A blood donation area and a hemodialysis area were set up near the drive aisle, to be used in emergencies. Staff played the role of patients to create a lifelike drill with real patients, objects, sites and scenarios.

Shih Chung-liang
Minister of Health and Welfare
Shuang Ho Hospital is the benchmark. We want to replicate the model here in every hospital in Taiwan.

Local preparedness drills help ensure essential government services can endure wartime and emergencies, making national defense more than just a slogan.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#military #drills #civilians #supermarket #groceries #taiwan #invasion

視導新北城鎮韌性演習總統:多一份演習多一份韌性

2026-08-13

2026城鎮韌性演習13日北部登場！總統賴清德也前往新北視導量販業者發送民生物資情形，並前往雙和醫院了解醫療降載、地下化演練，過程中除了AIT處長谷立言外，還有以色列、加拿大駐台代表也全程參與，賴總統強調，德不孤必有鄰，多一份演習多一份韌性。

掃身分證條碼、確認資訊，就有專人打包物資，動線快速，2026城鎮韌性演習13日北部登場，總統賴清德在新北市長侯友宜陪同下，視導量販店民生配售站，這次演習國際友人關注，包括AIT處長谷立言外，還有以色列、加拿大駐台代表也列席全程參與。

[[總統賴清德]]
“德不孤必有鄰，我們不是單獨面對區域的地緣政治的變化，而是國際社會共同關心、共同面對，但是我們絕對不能夠不做好準備，單純依賴外人，這是不可能的。我們多一份演習，我們就多一份韌性。”

[[新北市長侯友宜]]
“寧可百年無事，不可一日無備，就告訴大家準備非常重要。”

中央地方團結一心，不只了解戰時民生物資發放狀況，賴總統也視察醫療降載、地下化演練情形。

賴總統踏入雙和醫院地下二樓腫瘤科，演習這裡變戰時指揮中心，動線清楚規劃藥局、開刀房，以及產房，在無法確保地面狀態、宵禁情況下，地下三樓停車場也設置病床。

鄰近車道旁以備不時之需，設置捐血區、還有血液透析區，現場還有同仁扮演病患，實人、實物、實地、實景演練。

[[衛福部長石崇良]]
“雙和醫院是標竿，要我們把這個模式通通複製到所有的醫院去。”

地方精進程序，驗證戰時與緊急狀況下，維持政府核心機能和民生運作韌性，讓全民防衛不再只是口號。

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民視台灣台（152頻道）週一至週五晚上9:30
民視新聞台（53頻道）週二至週六凌晨1:00

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A 60-year-old man surnamed Yang took a handheld grinder to a speed camera pole on a road in Hsinchu. Then, in a fit of rage, he hacked away at it in the dead of the night. He was allegedly afraid of being caught speeding and angry at all the other speeding tickets he had already accumulated. Police arrived at the scene on Provincial Highway No. 3 after the incident was reported. The man initially claimed he was sawing a tree, but eventually confessed. He’s now facing potential criminal charges. Let’s find out more.

Sparks suddenly fly on the side of the road late at night. Then, a man enters the picture. Upon closer inspection, it turns out that he’s sawing through a speed camera pole. Terrified pedestrians say it’s just too scary.

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- A speed camera.
- That’s terrifying!

Police rushed to the scene after receiving a report that someone was suspected of tampering with a speed camera. The speed camera pole had been sawed, with obvious cutting marks. The police then expanded their search and found the culprit, a man surnamed Yang, about 300m away. When questioned by the police, he went as far as to claim-- in deadly earnest -- that he had been sawing a tree.

- I tell you: I was just sawing a tree.
- You were using this saw?
- Yeah, to saw a tree.
- You can use this to saw trees?
- Yes, you can.
- You can use this to saw trees? Trees are so big, is an angle grinder enough?

Police seized an angle grinder from the under-seat storage of his scooter on the spot. Faced with the undeniable evidence, the man had no choice but to confess. Police investigations revealed that the man was from Taoyuan. After borrowing a friend’s heavy motorcycle he then suspected it had been snapped by a speed camera.Fearing the license plate would be suspended and feeling the weight of his own accumulated speeding fines that totaled over NT$100,000, he was pushed over the edge. He borrowed his wife’s scooter, removed the license plate, bought an angle grinder, and, figuring he might as well be hung for a sheep as for a lamb, sawed down the hated speed camera to vent his frustration.

Liu Jo-min
Police chief
The entire case will be transferred to the Taiwan Hsinchu District Prosecutors Office for investigation on suspicion of damaging public property. Regarding the property losses caused by the equipment damage, the equipment manufacturer is currently assessing the situation. Once the actual amount is confirmed, this precinct will seek compensation from the party involved in accordance with the law.

Maintenance workers arrived early in the morning to carry out repairs. What started out as an attempt to dodge a speeding ticket ended up with the man getting caught red handed by the police for sawing the speed camera. His impulsive act not only failed to quell his anger, but he may also have to pay compensation and face legal trouble.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#Roadrage #speeding #Taiwanesetraffic #vandalism #Hsinchutraffic

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Australian padawan steals lightsaber, embracing dark side

Star Wars enthusiast Makoto Tsai has been making realistic-looking lightsabers for over two decades, but recently he met a Sith lord for the first time. Tsai had lent a friend in Australia a red lightsaber to be used by a group of Star Wars enthusiasts, but one Australian national ended up stealing the lightsaber. The man even broke the Jedi code when he bragged about his act on social media, saying, “Reels blowing up right now, feeling pretty blessed.”

Over in Australia, these two force-sensitive men are swinging and spinning their lightsabers. This scintillating duel features a Jedi versus a Sith lord, who’s the one holding the red lightsaber. After borrowing the laser sword, the blond-haired man refused to give it back and even told famous lightsaber maker Makoto Tsai to send him a private message. The man’s reply to Tsai showed that he’d already embraced the dark side.

The Australian national blocked Tsai and even sent an insidious photo of him giving the middle finger. Tsai is still having a hard time accepting the fate of the stolen lightsaber, which cost NT$11,000 to make.

Makoto Tsai
Famous lightsaber maker
Geez. It’s ridiculous. How can somebody like this even exist? I lent that lightsaber to that group, for anyone there to use. But then, during a gathering, he ended up slyly stealing it, or you could say borrowed it without asking. And then he ends up never coming back. So my friend wanted to get that saber back, and that’s when we realized his lightsaber was taken, that the man insisted on not giving it back.

The social media accounts of the Sith lord with sticky hands got slammed by negative messages, yet the man has clearly embraced the dark side. On Instagram the man wrote, “Reels blowing up right now, feeling pretty blessed,” which clearly broke the Jedi code.

Makoto Tsai
Famous lightsaber maker
He dug in his heels, telling my friend in Australia “Why do I have to give it back to you? You gave it to me.” But this is ridiculous. He even posted a story, in which he said “when you yell at me it makes me happy, because it just increases my reach.” Geez. I’ve never met somebody this shameless.

Tim
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He was an apprentice that I felt had a lot of potential. And he never behaved like that in the past, so all of us had a lot of trust in him.

Makoto Tsai, whose government name is Tsai Jung-chou, is so passionate about the Star Wars universe that he developed a way to make lightsabers that look just like those in the beloved sci-fi series. Star Wars enthusiasts around the world love his lightsabers, which can be customized. They’re also entirely made by hand in a process that takes at least 10 hours. The attention to detail might explain why many of his lightsabers are owned by entertainers, such as Fast & Furious actor Sung Kang, a friend of Tsai who came to Taiwan for Tsai’s marriage registration. But not all lightsaber enthusiasts can resist the dark side, including this Sith lord from Down Under.

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Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
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Through song and dance, this group of youth ambassadors are demonstrating the vitality of youth.

These musicians playing traditional instruments and singing Hakka hill songs will be going to visit diplomatic allies; also going abroad are TaiwanICDF campus youth ambassadors, who seem to be quite excited about the opportunity.

Yu Ting-hsuan
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This year is a two-part mission, with Palau being the destination of the first batch, who are the first group of Taiwanese youth ambassadors to include experts in drone technology. The second group will be going to Caribbean countries, including Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung waved the Taiwanese flag and presided over the ceremony in which the youth ambassadors were conferred their certificates.

Lin Chia-lung
Foreign minister
First, be confident when you go abroad. You represent Taiwan: a free, democratic, innovative, and open society. Second, be humble: listen carefully, respect different cultures, and learn from the people you meet.

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The M&Ocean Youth Band from Yilan’s Yue-Ming Elementary and Junior High School consists of 17 young musicians. After raising travel funds through their own performances to go perform in the US, they finally fulfilled their dream in late July by embarking on a 12-day exchange trip to California. When they performed the classic song Longing for the Spring Breeze, three to four hundred overseas Taiwanese came just to see them, and many were moved to tears.

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