TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The military practiced a blockade of the Tamsui River on Friday as part of the annual Han Kuang 42 exercises.
The tactic aims to prevent enemy ships from sailing up the river into Taipei. The mouth of the river between the New Taipei districts of Tamsui and Bali is one of the likeliest points of entry for a Chinese invasion targeting the capital, with the Presidential Office Building only 22 kilometers away.
The exercise started Thursday evening with the partial closure of Danjiang Bridge to traffic until Friday morning. The Han Kuang drills are the first time the bridge has been used for military purposes since its opening in May.
Friday morning, the Army used the US-made M3 Amphibious Bridge and Ferry System to position oil barrels and nets across the river, Liberty Times reported. The obstacles could prevent enemy speedboats from heading toward Taipei, while C4 explosive charges would destroy the vessels.
Within four hours, the military blocked passage on the Danjiang and Guandu bridges across the river. If necessary, they could also blow up the bridges to close off the river, per Liberty Times.
Once the enemy forces are prevented from advancing, missile launch installations and howitzers positioned on both banks of the river could fire at them. The Army had also installed equipment to neutralize enemy drones, causing them to crash into the river.
