Taiwan issues ‘crisis’ guide on preparing for disasters, Chinese attack

Taipei resident Jay Tsai hopes he never needs the crisis guide Taiwan is handing out to millions of households across the island, which faces threats of natural disasters and a Chinese invasion.

The government began sliding the orange booklet under doors and into mailboxes this week to raise awareness about potential dangers, but critics have branded it a waste of taxpayers’ money.

“I hope we’ll never need it but it feels reassuring to have,” Tsai, a 31-year-old 3D animation specialist, told AFP.

“I’ll put it near my emergency items at home, like the flashlight, just so I know it’s there.”

The 32-page booklet offers advice on everything from how to prepare a “go bag” to what to do when an air-raid siren sounds and how to give first-aid.

It also warns readers that “hostile foreign forces” could use disinformation to weaken their resolve to defend the island if China attacks.

“In the event of a military invasion of Taiwan, any claim that the government has surrendered or that the nation has been defeated is false,” it says.

The new printed version is the first time the government has opted for paper emergency guidelines for the public after previously publishing them online.

“A printed copy ensures that… the elderly in rural areas or anyone without access to digital tools can still obtain the information they need,” Defence Minister Wellington Koo told lawmakers on Wednesday.

The guide, titled “In Case of Crisis”, is part of President Lai Ching-te’s efforts to prepare the island’s 23 million people for a disaster or conflict.

“I think it’s quite helpful,” Chi Chien-han, 43, a community leader, told AFP.

“It reminds us to stay alert rather than acting like nothing matters.”

However, IT worker Yang Chen-che said the guide was more political than practical and he would probably “throw it away”.

“You can look up all of this online,” Yang, 38, told AFP.

“I don’t need to keep a paper copy.”

Chiang Chu-hsuan, 60, another community leader, dismissed the guide as a “waste of money” and said Lai should try hard to “avoid war”.

The Defence Ministry said Taiwan had studied similar books recently published by countries such as Sweden and France when putting its guide together.

“I think this booklet actually shows our determination of defending ourselves,” said Lin Fei-fan, deputy secretary-general of the National Security Council.

Yeh Yuan-chih, a legislator with the main opposition Kuomintang party, which advocates for warmer ties with China, questioned the cost of printing and delivering the booklet.

“Is it necessary to spend more than NT$60 million ($1.9 million)?” Yeh asked Koo in Parliament.

The government expects to finish distributing the guides to nearly 10 million households by early January.

“In the past, war didn’t feel that close to us,” said 32-year-old resident Ruru Liu.

“But after what happened in Ukraine I think this might help people to some extent.”