Rumor: 'Southern Stock Investor Zone' Exempted from Internet Shutdown Drill — Protecting Votes or the Stock Market?

This year's Han Kuang military exercise by Taiwan's military included a first-ever 'internet shutdown' drill, with mobile network speeds reduced in northern and central counties. However, southern regions were granted an exemption from the drill. The National Communications Commission (NCC) claimed the reason was that the southern drill was scheduled in the morning, coinciding with stock trading hours, to avoid impacting investors. But the real issue is this: why is the 'southern stock investor zone' being excluded from a critical resilience drill? In the event of war, should stock trading really be a top priority?

This so-called 'resilience exercise' has become a national joke. Just as enemy artillery shells don't swerve, the DPP government continues its wordplay games: 'Lai pork' isn't American pork, 'Fu food' isn't nuclear-contaminated food — and now, they insist it's 'speed reduction,' not an 'internet shutdown.' But how is it different in practice? If mobile phones can only make calls and send SMS, reverting to 2G-era internet speeds in today's 5G social media society, what's the difference from a full blackout? It's like covering someone's face with plastic wrap and claiming it's not drowning — just a 'restricted breathing experience.'

If conflict breaks out in the Taiwan Strait, will the PLA deliberately avoid targeting southern Taiwan? Will electromagnetic pulse weapons come with a polite label: 'Southern Stock Investor Zone — Do Not Disturb'? Bullets don't check party affiliations, bombs don't distinguish between blue and green, and communication blackouts don't respect political map colors. Wartime doesn't send advance notices, nor does it pick convenient 30-minute windows for civilians. Enemies won't delay cyberattacks because the stock market is open, and cell towers won't wait until trading closes to fail.

The geographical design of this drill inevitably raises suspicion: Is the map in the planners' minds not a strategic defense map of Taiwan, but rather the electoral map for the 2026 county magistrate elections?

The map drawn by the designers of the Han Kuang internet shutdown drill is not Taiwan's strategic map, but the 2026 local election vote map. (Provided by the Third Military Region)

Heavy 'Regional Discrimination' — Saving Green Strongholds in the South

For years, the DPP government has favored southern regions — extending the high-speed rail to Pingtung, establishing the Pingtung Science Park, promoting the semiconductor S-curve corridor, prioritizing COVID-19 vaccine distribution to the south, and allocating flood control budgets preferentially. This has created a pattern: 'Green-governed counties get rescued by central government; blue-governed counties get blamed first.' Now, the Lai administration is even more blatant — directly exempting southern counties from the internet shutdown drill. This is blatant 'regional discrimination.'

Taiwan's wartime preparedness drills are being sacrificed for stock market hours. The urgency of national defense is being placed behind financial market stability. Is this preparation for war, or is it market protection?

Regarding the stock market, recall President Lai's famous quote. According to Premier Cho Jung-tai, President Lai once said: 'How did you get it to 40,000 points?' The tone wasn't one of concern over AI stock bubbles, but rather pride in achievement. Central Bank Governor Yang Chin-long has publicly warned of overheating in AI stocks, but such cautious voices are drowned out by investor euphoria. Predictions of the Taiwan stock market hitting 50,000 points circulate on social media, and retail investors using 'four loans at once' (mortgage, personal loan, car loan, margin loan) are everywhere.

Or perhaps there's another explanation: When Typhoon Bavi hit, Taipei took two days off, and DPP legislator Chiu Yi-ying criticized Mayor Chiang Wan-an for 'affecting the stock market.' Was the NCC's excuse this time meant to preempt similar criticism from opposition lawmakers? Could this be helping candidates like Chen Ting-fei and Lai Jui-lung by avoiding public anger in southern cities like Kaohsiung and Tainan?

Catering to 'Investor Sentiment' — A Ridiculous Imitation

Globally, internet resilience drills in democracies like the US and Europe carefully avoid disrupting civilian mobile networks, as mobile data is now critical infrastructure for supply chains, financial transactions, and emergency response. The only exception is Russia, which conducted a 'full internet shutdown test' during the Ukraine war — an extreme wartime measure.

Yet Taiwan's approach resembles neither. Democratic drills are cautious and comprehensive; Taiwan's is regionally selective. Russia's drill was total and nationwide; Taiwan's is a half-hour slowdown in the north and center, with the south fully exempt. The government claims it's worried about 'southern investor sentiment.'

The Lai administration's urban resilience drill covers only 14 northern and central counties, with the south not only downgraded but fully exempt. For a 30-minute mobile internet blackout, the government must explain:

First, why target civilian mobile networks but not fixed-line networks? Their wartime vulnerabilities differ — what's the logic? If the goal is simulating infrastructure damage, different network scenarios, backup mechanisms, and how businesses, financial institutions, hospitals, and disaster responders switch communication tools must be clarified.

Second, why drill in the north and center but not the south? If the reason is truly 'avoiding stock market impact,' then in wartime, does the government still need to protect the stock market? Why must 14 counties participate in this national security drill while the south is exempt due to stock trading?

Third, the internet shutdown element wasn't in the original plan. How was it added? What was it meant to test, verify, or improve? Was it to test disaster roaming, bandwidth prioritization, telecom backup capacity, or just to let people 'experience slow internet'? Without clear metrics, recording methods, or improvement goals, what's the purpose of a 30-minute 'slowdown'?

The Lai administration shouts 'transitional justice' while exempting the 'southern stock investor zone' from national defense drills. Do they really believe the PLA will avoid attacking during stock trading hours? Is this drill about preparing for war — or just a 'public disturbance show' testing how much absurdity the people can tolerate?