Taipei: Emergency air-raid drills were held Thursday at three PX Mart supermarkets in Taipei, Taichung, and Tainan as part of Taiwan's "National Unity Month," which began in July. The exercises, organized by the National Police Agency (NPA) and involving PX Mart employees and members of the public, began at 10 a.m.

According to Focus Taiwan, the drills commenced with an alarm, prompting shoppers to be guided by PX Mart staff to a designated shelter area within the stores. Participants were instructed to kneel with their hands covering their heads. The Taipei drill saw the attendance of several officials, including Deputy Interior Minister Ma Shih-yuan and Lin Fei-fan, deputy secretary-general of the National Security Council.

The exercises simulated scenarios such as calming panicked shoppers and providing basic first aid. The NPA's goal was to educate the public on how to protect themselves and assist others during emergencies. Ma expressed gratitude towards PX Mart for its cooperation and emphasized the importance of exercises in enhancing private businesses' ability to respond to consumer safety during air raids.

PX Mart executive Liu Hung-cheng stated that the company is willing to collaborate with the government on these drills, though future exercises will be scheduled during off-peak hours to minimize the impact on sales. Liu added that the drills are crucial for the supermarket in preparing for potential future emergencies, and customer feedback will be used to improve the process.

This marked PX Mart's first collaboration with the government for such drills. Lin highlighted the significance of the exercises, noting that public safety in Taiwan is a shared responsibility among all members of society.

On June 26, President Lai Ching-te announced the Urban Resilience Exercises, which will accompany this year's Han Kuang exercise to bolster Taiwan's defense resilience through civil-military cooperation. He acknowledged PX Mart's involvement in the July resilience drills, stating that every role and contribution is essential in safeguarding national security.