->LIU Shyh-fang: Complete the charter flight drill to enhance Taiwan’s effectiveness in international humanitarian assistance

In recent years, Taiwan's search and rescue capabilities have been recognized internationally, and Taiwan's international image has been enhanced through its international humanitarian assistance. On 2024/09/06, before the National Disaster Preparedness Day, the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) will conduct an inter-ministerial charter flight drill at Songshan and Taoyuan airports to simulate the process for dispatching charter flight for international humanitarian assistance. Today (on 2024/08/19), Minister LIU Shyh-fang convened a cross-ministerial meeting for integration and coordination operations of the drill. Emphasized by Minister LIU, this drill is crucial in enhancing Taiwan's response capabilities in international humanitarian assistance. It is hoped that through close cross-ministerial cooperation, standard operating procedures could be established to further the key role Taiwan is to play in international disaster relief.

As indicated by Minister LIU, this drill included the drill items such as the border exit and border entry procedures of the search and rescue team; the mode of diversion reporting for personnel, search and rescue dogs, and rescue equipment; the simplified customs clearance procedures; Reception and Departure Center (RDC) operations, etc. Through the cross-ministerial integration and coordination, participants units should be familiar with the procedures for executing international humanitarian assistance missions, shorten flight traffic time, and ensure the expedited arrival of our search and rescue teams at the disaster-stricken country.

Pointed out by Minister LIU, this drill is to involve those special search and rescue (SAR) teams of the local county and city fire department that have passed the National Accreditation Process (NAP). The heavy-class search and rescue teams (namely from Taipei City, New Taipei City, and Kaohsiung City) should each dispatch 15 persons, whereas the medium-class search and rescue team (namely from Taoyuan City, Taichung City, Tainan City, Hsinchu City, Pingtung County, Hualien County, and Taitung County) should each dispatch 10 persons, plus the Special Search and Rescue Team of the National Fire Agency (NFA) should dispatch 15 persons, making a total of 130 persons, including110 search and rescue personnel, 10 medical doctors, 7 nurses, 3 civil structural technicians, 10 search and rescue dogs, and 10 tons of rescue equipment.

As mentioned by Minister LIU, in order to shorten the border entry and border exit time for search and rescue teams, the various C.I.Q.S. units at Songshan and Taoyuan airports should try their best to streamline the border clearance procedure for the search and rescue teams, including the procedures of the C.I.Q.S (customs, immigration, quarantine, and security) units in customs inspections, passport and immigration inspection, personnel and animal/ plant health inspection and quarantine, and security inspections and aviation security. Meanwhile, the National Fire Agency (NFA) was instructed to, through coordination, make the courtesy border clearance procedures at international airports applicable to domestic and foreign search and rescue teams.

As indicted by Deputy Minister MAA Shyh-yuan, who also present at the meeting, in the future, when Taiwan's search and rescue teams perform international humanitarian assistance, in addition to civilian aircrafts, military aircrafts could also be utilized to transport SAR personnel for duty. Therefore, on the 2024/09/06 drill, the Air Force Command will be invited to observe this drill. As explained by the National Fire Agency (NFA), this drill is based on the scenario of a large-scale earthquake in Japan, and Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has received a request from Japan in need of the support of an international search and rescue team. Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association, a legal body of financial group for public interest, will also be invited to observe the drill.