By Yimou Lee
TAIPEI (Reuters) -Taiwan will begin distributing millions of civil defence handbooks to households across the island this week, in an unprecedented effort to prepare residents for potential emergencies, including the possibility of a Chinese attack.
The handbook, unveiled in September, includes for the first time instructions on what to do if citizens encounter enemy soldiers and stresses that any claims of Taiwan’s surrender should be considered false. It also provides guidance on locating bomb shelters and preparing emergency kits.
This marks Taiwan’s latest effort to prepare its population for crises ranging from natural disasters to a Chinese invasion, as Beijing steps up military and political pressure to assert its sovereignty claims over the democratically governed island.
“This booklet shows our determination to defend ourselves,” said Lin Fei-fan, Deputy Secretary-General of Taiwan’s National Security Council who oversaw the effort.
“We need people across the Taiwan Strait to understand that there will be a huge cost if China makes the wrong decision because Taiwanese people have the resolve and very clear commitment in defending ourselves and people are willing to take that action to protect each other.”
The distribution to more than 9.8 million mailboxes across the island will start this week and handbooks in English and other foreign languages will also be handed out soon, Lin said.
After the distribution, Lin said the government will help people prepare their personal emergency kits through promotional campaigns, though he did not give details.
China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and has not ruled out the use of force to take control of Taiwan. Taiwan’s government rejects China’s territorial claims, saying only Taiwanese people can decide their future.
The handbook outlines scenarios Taiwan might face, from sabotage of undersea cables and cyberattacks to inspections of Taiwanese vessels by an “enemy nation” as a prelude to conflict, and even an all-out invasion.
Lin said Taiwan is already facing hybrid warfare by China, including cyberattacks, infiltration, misinformation campaigns and military incursions near the island.
“It is D-day versus everyday. D-day means actually invasion. Obviously we are not in the D-day mode. But we are facing the so-called everyday coercion.”
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
(Reporting By Yimou Lee; Editing by Ben Blanchard and Himani Sarkar)
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