Taiwan’s radio enthusiasts tune in as PLA, US warplanes crowd sensitive skies
- A band of Taiwanese civilians has been keeping an ear on Beijing’s air force missions and publishing the recordings online
- Former navy radio operator says making information public could boost support for Taiwan’s armed forces, which are dwarfed by Beijing’s
Soon after dawn on a southern Taiwanese beach, Robin Hsu’s iPhone pings with the first radio message of the day from Taiwan’s air force as it warns away aircraft from mainland China.
“Attention!” a voice says on the radio, speaking in Mandarin to a Chinese military plane flying at an altitude of 3,500 metres (11,500 feet). “You have entered our southwestern air defence identification zone and are jeopardising aviation safety. Turn around and leave immediately.”
03:21
Taiwanese radio enthusiast tunes in as Chinese warplanes crowd sensitive skies
Although Taiwan’s defence ministry details these almost-daily incursions on its website, including maps outlining the activity, a band of Taiwanese radio enthusiasts like Hsu has been tuning in to related radio traffic and publishing the recordings online.
“The Chinese Communist planes are like flies on your dining table. If you kill them on your plate then your meal is ruined,” said Hsu, 50, a tour guide and a military enthusiast. “All you can do is to wave them away.”
The action ebbs and flows. On one day in May, when Reuters accompanied Hsu, nine other warnings were broadcast to PLA warplanes after the one at dawn.
The PLA aircraft have not fired a shot and have not come near Taiwan’s shores, according to the island’s military.
