A potential solution to the great divide between the Ministry of Education and the student protesters occupying the ministry to protest against controversial high-school curriculum guidelines might be in the making, as former National Taichung First Senior High School dean Tsai Ping-kun (蔡炳坤) attempted to mediate a deal yesterday.
Consensus was reached at 10pm last night that Minister of Education Wu Se-hwa (吳思華) would meet with representatives of the student protesters this afternoon to attempt to reconcile their differences.
Chu Chen (朱震), convener of the Northern Taiwan Anti-Curriculum Changes Alliance, said that he, alliance spokesman Wang Pin-chen (王品蓁), four other student members and Taichung First Senior High School student Liao Chung-lun (廖崇倫), former spokesman of the Apple Tree Commune student club, which started the debate against the controversial curriculum guideline adjustments, would attend the meeting. Three teachers are also to accompany them to the meeting.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
According to Ministry of Education Secretary-General Wang Chun-chuan (王俊權) the meeting could be transmitted live online and the ministry would arrange a news conference afterward.
A number of protesters, mainly high-school students, entered the ministry compound early on Friday during a demonstration against the controversial high-school textbook guideline adjustments, which went into effect on Saturday. The student occupation of the plaza inside the ministry gates yesterday surpassed 60 hours.
The students have demanded that Wu resign, that the implementation of the new guidelines be halted and an extra legislative session to review the changes.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
A number of civic groups yesterday afternoon staged a march around the perimeter of the building in support of the students.
Earlier yesterday, the presidents of five private universities called for the students to withdraw as soon as possible and begin a rational dialogue with the ministry.
Samuel Chang (張光正), of Chung Yuan Christian University, read the announcement at a news conference, saying the group understood the objectives of the students’ protest and approved of their ideals, but condemned any unlawful and disorderly activity, and hoped the issue could be discussed in a rational manner.
The group of university presidents also said they were apprehensive the radical approaches of some students might set a bad example, expressing concern the issue could make Taiwanese society more confrontational and impair the nation’s competitiveness in the future. They called on the ministry to invite professionals, experts and student representatives to build a dialogue and find a solution, while urging the students to end their protest and withdraw from the premises.
The statement was signed by Chang and his counterparts at Tatung University, Chinese Culture University, Shih Chien University and the Taipei-based China University of Technology, as well as 10 academics.
In response, the student protesters released their own statement, saying: “We all want to return to our normal lives, but [they] should return normal textbook guidelines to us first.”
The government is monitoring online rumors that a pneumonic plague outbreak has spread from Russia into China, and it might enhance quarantine measures, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday. During a legislative meeting, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) said that rumors had circulated that the disease had spread across several Chinese provinces. He asked Cho whether the government was prepared to prevent the disease spreading to Taiwan, given the volume of traffic between the two sides, and how concerned the government was about the alleged outbreak. The Ministry of Health and Welfare had implemented border quarantine measures after briefing the Executive
A sea warning for Typhoon Champi could be issued as early as Wednesday night, possibly followed by a land warning on Thursday night or Friday, as the storm approaches Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The typhoon is expected to have its greatest impact on Taiwan on Friday and Saturday, bringing heavy rain to central and northern Taiwan and to Yilan and Hualien counties in the east, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said. As of 2pm yesterday, Champi was about 2,470km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving westnorthwest at 20kph. It had maximum sustained winds of 191kph and a
EAST OF GUAM: Tropical Storm Champi is forecast to strengthen into a typhoon, but its effect on Taiwan is uncertain due to the presence of a high-pressure system Tropical Storm Champi formed yesterday and has the potential to increase in strength, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Forecasters are closely monitoring a Pacific high-pressure system that would dictate whether the storm turns north or moves toward Taiwan next week, the CWA said. The most likely scenario is that it turns northward after passing the Ryukyu Islands, CWA forecaster Cheng Chieh-jen (鄭傑仁) said. As of 8pm yesterday, Champi was east of Guam moving west-northwest at 20kph, CWA data showed. It had maximum sustained winds near the center of 72kph and gusts of up to 101kph, the data showed. If the Pacific high-pressure system
RIGHT TO DIPLOMACY: Under the UN Charter, every state has the right to conduct foreign policy free from external pressure, Belize said in a statement Belize and Paraguay on Monday condemned Beijing sanctions over their countries’ ties with Taiwan, saying China’s actions create unnecessary tensions. Earlier on Monday, Beijing announced sanctions against Paraguayan Minister of Information and Communication Technologies Gustavo Villate and Belizean Minister of Foreign Affairs Francis Fonseca. The Paraguayan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it rejected the sanctions, writing on X that they created unnecessary friction. It added that it reaffirmed its support for Taiwan and its commitment to democratic values and principles. Villate told the Spanish-language Paraguayan daily ABC Color the sanctions were “predictable” and linked them to several cooperation projects between Taiwan and Paraguay. The projects
RSS