[1/10] Tsai Tsung-lin, who is dressed in full camouflage and holds a plastic rifle, walks on a road, in Keelung, Taiwan August 21, 2023. REUTERS/Ann Wang Acquire Licensing RightsKEELUNG, Taiwan, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Dressed in camouflage and holding a plastic rifle, Tsai Tsung-lin has been tramping around Taiwan on foot for more than a month with one message to his compatriots: be prepared for war. The 22-year-old former soldier, discharged from the army in July, hopes his journey can help increase civil defence awareness and unite the people of Taiwan amid tensions with China. China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, has stepped up military activity to try to force democratically governed Taiwan to accept Beijing's sovereignty, despite strong objections from the government in Taipei. Tsai carries a large Taiwan flag sticking on his backpack and a yellow sign reading, "Going around the island raising people's awareness to oppose the enemy".

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Persons: Tsai, Ann Wang, Tsai Tsung, William Lai's, . Tsai, Huang, Minh Nguyen, Ben Blanchard, Gerry Doyle Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Keelung, Taiwan, KEELUNG, China, Taipei, United States, Paraguay