The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday criticized Kuma Academy for pricing its disaster prevention kit at NT$1,380 (US$46.59), calling the kit a luxury item that the organization is using to capitalize on escalating tensions across the Taiwan Strait.
Kuma Academy is a nonprofit civil defense organization which aims to “prepare a pre-war mentality for civilians” and “cultivate self-defense capability and a will to defend Taiwan,” according to the group’s Web site.
It was cofounded by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋).
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
KMT think tank deputy director Ling Tao (凌濤) yesterday said that Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) in January admitted to sending directives to the National Police Agency to set aside a budget of NT$22.18 million for non-governmental organizations, such as Kuma Academy and the Forward Alliance — a community-based organization dedicated to Taiwan’s security — to hold training courses for civilians.
These funds would only be able to purchase 16,000 kits from Kuma Academy, but if sourced elsewhere, could be used to buy goods that would provide kits for 74,000 citizens, Ling said.
Ling said that the DPP’s “anti-communist” stance has been thoroughly crushed, citing the examples of DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming’s (柯建銘) son doing business in China and that one of the members of the board at his company is a high-ranking member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
Shen’s father and family also have businesses in China, and this connection makes Shen, who serves on the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, the weakest link in Taiwan’s national security, Ling said, adding that Shen’s background ironically conforms with his characterization of fifth-column forces, and those who aid and abet the CCP.
In response, Su Tzu-yu (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, told a news conference that a series of attacks on Kuma Academy and its marketing of the emergency kits have the marks of focused disinformation campaign by enemy forces, since China would be the main beneficiary from maligning the academy’s work.
“There are different emergency kits for people to choose from, depending on their needs ... but it is clear that Kuma Academy, and Shen as its cofounder, have come under attack, targeted by the ‘cognitive warfare’ of outside forces,” DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) said.
Disaster prevention kits are not just to prepare for war, but also for natural disasters, he said.
Taiwan can learn from Japan, where they have stores with a section for emergency food, handheld solar-powered chargers, blankets and radios that can be charged by hand, Su said.
Taiwan is to have nine extended holidays next year, led by a nine-day Lunar New Year break, the Cabinet announced yesterday. The nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year matches the length of this year’s holiday, which featured six extended holidays. The increase in extended holidays is due to the Act on the Implementation of Commemorative and Festival Holidays (紀念日及節日實施條例), which was passed early last month with support from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party. Under the new act, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve is also a national holiday, and Labor Day would no longer be limited
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
Costa Rica sent a group of intelligence officials to Taiwan for a short-term training program, the first time the Central American country has done so since the countries ended official diplomatic relations in 2007, a Costa Rican media outlet reported last week. Five officials from the Costa Rican Directorate of Intelligence and Security last month spent 23 days in Taipei undergoing a series of training sessions focused on national security, La Nacion reported on Friday, quoting unnamed sources. The Costa Rican government has not confirmed the report. The Chinese embassy in Costa Rica protested the news, saying in a statement issued the same
RSS