TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (國防部) released a new edition of the "Taiwan's National Public Safety Guide" (台灣全民安全指引) on Tuesday (Sept. 16), marking a significant update to the island's civil defense preparations. The updated handbook emphasizes that civilians should refrain from filming or leaking military activities during wartime and warns that any government surrender news is false. The guide reflects Taiwan's heightened security concerns amid regional tensions.
The Chinese-language handbook features a bold orange cover with "In Case of Crisis" (當危機來臨時) prominently displayed in large letters. The content has been updated to address new threats, including security risks from Chinese-made tech products. It explains how surveillance devices, DeepSeek, and social media platforms like WeChat and TikTok could be exploited by adversaries during crises.
Shen Wei-chih (沈威志), director of the Department of All-Out Defense Mobilization, urged civilians against uploading videos of military operations to avoid compromising military secrets. In his speech, he expressed that the handbook was created for civilians in hopes that they would be able to protect themselves and each other against external threats.
Shen also stated that electronic PDF versions of the handbook are available in Chinese and English on the Ministry of National Defense's website. He emphasized the importance of people downloading the PDF as only limited copies of the handbook would be distributed to the public.