Taipei Times
Date:  Aug 04, 2015
By: Staff writer, with CNA

Nearly 60 percent of Taiwanese disapprove of students’ rallies and the encirclement of the

Ministry of Education compound to express their opposition to a series of revisions to the history curriculum guidelines for senior-high schools, according to the results of a survey commissioned by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) released yesterday

The survey, conducted by Trend Survey and Research on Aug. 1 and Aug. 2, showed that 58.9 percent of respondents said they disapproved of the methods used by the students to express their objections to the revised textbook guidelines, while 36.2 percent said they supported the students’ actions.

Asked if they supported surrounding the compound to demand the resignation of Minister of Education Wu Se-hwa (吳思華), 58.4 percent of respondents replied “No,” while 32.3 percent said “Yes.”

Students have taken to the streets in recent weeks to oppose changes to high-school history curriculum guidelines, which, according to the demonstrators, “are presented from the perspective of Chinese unification.”     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2015-08-03
By: Ko Lin, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

The H5N2 virus, a subtype of the avian influenza, has swept across a poultry farm in the

Taimali Township of Taitung, according to the Animal Disease Control Center (ADCC) on Monday.

Over 100 fowls remain to be slaughtered later in the day after the case was recently reported by a local raiser that his chickens have died one after another since July.

The ADCC confirmed in its laboratory report on Monday that the virus was indeed the avian influenza.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/08/03
By: Christie Chen

Taipei, Aug. 3 (CNA) A women’s rights group on Monday criticized what it called the

“debasing” of “comfort women” in the recent dispute surrounding revised high-school curriculum guidelines, urging the public not to inflict more pain on these victims of sex slavery during World War II.

“As the only civic group in Taiwan focused on the human rights of ‘comfort women,’ the Taipei Women’s Rescue Foundation deeply regrets the recent debate over whether “comfort women” were forced (into sex slavery),” it said in a statement.

The foundation urged the public not to “add insult to injury” by questioning the horrific experiences of the women.

Protesters have taken to the streets in recent weeks to oppose changes to high school history curriculum guidelines, which according to the demonstrators, “are presented from the perspective of Chinese unification.”     [FULL  STORY]

NO COMPROMISE:Minister of Education Wu Se-hwa said students should return to school and ask their teachers to use old textbooks if they disagree with adjustments

Taipei Times
Date:  Aug 04, 2015
By Abraham Gerber  /  Staff reporter

Talks between Minister of Education Wu Se-hwa (吳思華) and students over the curriculum

controversy fell apart yesterday, with students storming out of a Ministry of Education (MOE)-sponsored forum in tears.

“What in the world are these talks supposed to be?” Northern Taiwan Anti-Curriculum Changes Alliance convener Chu Chen (朱震) said. “What I see is a failure of education and a policy that has gradually moved away from the masses.”

“We are willing to accept a suspension of the implementation [of changes to curriculum guidelines] — all that is needed is those few words,” he said, repeatedly breaking into tears. “Only that would count as respect, without which, all we are left with, other than pain, is a hatred of the government and education.”

Wu repeated his position that it is administratively impossible for the guidelines to be withdrawn, because they have already gone into effect.     [FULL STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2015-08-02
By: Ko Lin, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

The protest against the Ministry of Education (MOE) has turned into a mass demonstration

after various civic groups joined in with the students at the government building in Taipei to protest against the curriculum changes on Sunday.

Together the protesters chanted the withdrawal of a revised curriculum they say aims to promote Beijing’s ‘One China’ policy, reports said.

Over 500 disgruntled students and civic members took to the streets of Taipei, starting from the MOE at 4 p.m. all the way to the Legislative Yuan in Zhongshan South Road, and then back to the education ministry via Qingdao East Road. Together they plan to do three to four lapses for about an hour before ending their manifestation at around 6 p.m.

Over the past few weeks, young activists have taken to the streets en masse, struggling with police and forcing their approach into the education ministry, in protest against the government’s pro-Beijing stance.

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/08/02
By: Hsu Chih-wei and Christie Chen

Taipei, Aug. 2 (CNA) Education Minister Wu Se-hwa (吳思華) will meet on Monday with

students who are opposed to the revised high-school curriculum guidelines, an education official confirmed Sunday.

The meeting will take place at the National Central Library in Taipei at 2 p.m., and if the students so wish, the meeting can be streamed live on the Internet, the ministry’s chief secretary Wang Chun-chuan (王俊權) told reporters.

The minister is expected to speak with students from the National Taichung First Senior High School at the meeting, which was coordinated by a former principal of the school, Wang said.

However, other student representatives are also welcome to participate, he added.     [FULL  STORY]

Want China Times
Date: 2015-08-02
By: Staff Reporter

The Asian branch of the international network of activist and hacktivist entities known as

Anonymous has warned that its crippling of several Taiwanese government websites on Saturday is “just the beginning.”

Anonymous Asia boasted about its conquests on an official Facebook page throughout Saturday, posting screen shots showing that it had shut down the websites of Taiwan’s Ministry of Education, Office of the President, National Academy of Education Research, and Ministry of National Defense. Later, seemingly at the request of a netizen, it also crashed the website of CTiTV, a television network under the Want Want China Times Group.

The hacks have been described as a series of distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, which involve flooding websites using many devices and multiple internet connections, often distributed globally into a “zombie army” referred to as a botnet.     [FULL  STORY]