Parents and politicians on Tuesday were infuriated when they found a government-sponsored educational Web site to promote national defense concepts showing a video of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) on parade, along with about 40 World War II movies that were produced by the Chinese government.
The controversy also riled opposition legislators at the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee meeting yesterday, who accused top military officials of negligence for helping Chinese propaganda materials reach Taiwanese.
The Web site that broadcast the videos is among the programs managed by the National Defense Education Center, a collaboration between the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Education, and is based at Hsinchu Senior Girls’ High School in Hsinchu City.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taichung City councilors Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) and Hsieh Chih-chung (謝志忠) on Tuesday said it was egregious that the Ministry of Education is apparently unable to distinguish between our own military and enemy troops.
“If our students’ education on national defense has to depend on China to supply the materials, then our national security is in trouble,” Hsieh said.
Their sentiments were echoed by DPP Legislator Hsu Tain-tsair (許添財), who questioned Minister of National Defense Kao Kuang-chi (高廣圻) at the legislature over the matter.
“Our nation is facing a perilous situation with the threat of force from China. However, we are also facing real dangers of subversion from within, and cooperation with the enemy by Taiwanese who are bought off to work for China. This Web site is helping China to promote their military might and to destroy our national identity,” Hsu said.
He demanded that Kao and his military officials make a full investigation, since the Web site and the education center are part of a defense ministry program.
After the issue was raised on Tuesday, the Chinese video materials in question were removed, and officials at the education ministry promised to beef up the Web site’s internal monitoring and checks mechanism.
School principal Lu Shu-mei (呂淑美) said that the videos were uploaded by an assistant at the National Defense Education Center, which provides materials for teachers.
“Maybe the assistant believed those videos would help teachers to better understand China’s military threat against Taiwan, so she decided to put them online for viewing. We understand it could cause controversy, due to people’s different interpretations, so the videos have been taken off,” Lu said.
However, National Federation of Teachers Unions president Chang Hsu-cheng (張旭政) suspected a hidden agenda by the Ministry of Education.
“China’s military parade with PLA troops on display to mark victory over Japan in World War II demonstrated only China’s viewpoint. It is totally different from the Taiwanese historical view,” he said.
“We see the adjustment of the high-school curriculum guidelines was led by pro-China academics. So I suspect this is also the case — that a few officials’ political concepts and ideology now have full influence over the education ministry,” he said.
Tropical Storm Gaemi strengthened into a typhoon at 2pm yesterday, and could make landfall in Yilan County tomorrow, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The agency was scheduled to issue a sea warning at 11:30pm yesterday, and could issue a land warning later today. Gaemi was moving north-northwest at 4kph, carrying maximum sustained winds near its center of up to 118.8kph and gusts of 154.8kph. The circumference is forecast to reach eastern Taiwan tomorrow morning, with the center making landfall in Yilan County later that night before departing from the north coast, CWA weather forecaster Kuan Shin-ping (官欣平) said yesterday. Uncertainty remains and
SEA WARNING LIKELY: The storm, named Gaemi, could become a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, with the Taipei City Government preparing for flooding A tropical depression east of the Philippines developed into a tropical storm named Gaemi at 2pm yesterday, and was moving toward eastern Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Gaemi could begin to affect Taiwan proper on Tuesday, lasting until Friday, and could develop into a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, it said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued as early as Tuesday morning, it added. Gaemi, the third tropical storm in the Pacific Ocean this typhoon season, is projected to begin moving northwest today, and be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday, the agency said. Today, there would likely
DISRUPTIONS: The high-speed rail is to operate as normal, while several airlines either canceled flights or announced early departures or late arrivals Schools and offices in 15 cities and counties are to be closed today due to Typhoon Gaemi, local governments announced last night. The 15 are: Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Tainan, Keelung, Hsinchu and Kaohsiung, as well as Yilan, Hualien, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Lienchiang counties. People should brace for torrential rainfall brought by the storm, with its center forecast to make landfall on the east coast between tonight and tomorrow morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The agency issued a sea warning for the typhoon at 11:30pm on Monday, followed by a land warning at 11:30am yesterday. As of
CASUALTY: A 70-year-old woman was killed by a falling tree in Kaohsiung as the premier warned all government agencies to remain on high alert for the next 24 hours Schools and offices nationwide are to be closed for a second day today as Typhoon Gaemi crosses over the nation, bringing torrential rain and whipping winds. Gaemi was forecast to make landfall late last night. From Tuesday night, its outer band brought substantial rainfall and strong winds to the nation. As of 6:15pm last night, the typhoon’s center was 20km southeast of Hualien County, Central Weather Administration (CWA) data showed. It was moving at 19kph and had a radius of 250km. As of 3pm yesterday, one woman had died, while 58 people were injured, the Central Emergency Operation Center said. The 70-year-old