Alarm in Taiwan over quiet change to air raid alert threshold

Pressure tactics from the PLA prompted the island to alter when it will sound the sirens, military source says

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Changing the threshold for issuing an air raid alert would leave people on Taiwan less time to respond to an attack, critics say. Photo: Handout

Published: 8:00pm, 25 Nov 2024Updated: 8:11pm, 25 Nov 2024

Taiwan changed its air raid warning threshold to respond to the PLA’s tactics, the island’s defence minister said on Monday, amid concerns that the decision leaves the public with less time to take shelter during a cross-strait conflict.

In the past, the island would issue an air raid alert if People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft or vessels came within 70 nautical miles (80 miles) of the Taiwanese coast, but that threshold has been quietly revised to 24 nautical miles in recent years.

The change came to light on Sunday when RW News reported that the shift could leave people with just three minutes to seek shelter in an air raid.

Asked about the decision, Taiwanese Defence Minister Wellington Koo Li-hsiung said the change reflected the growing threats posed by PLA activities.

“China’s repeated provocations across the median line and escalating hostilities around Taiwan have necessitated this adjustment,” Koo said, referring to a notional midway point in the Taiwan Strait between the self-governed island and mainland China.

“The military will respond by closely monitoring and analysing the situation to discern PLA intentions, ensuring they cannot operate unchallenged within Taiwan’s vicinity.”