Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Ministry approves new ‘brainwashing’ curriculum

Taipei Times

Activists hold signs outside the Ministry of Education in Taipei yesterday as they protest the ministry’s alleged plans to “de-Taiwanize” high-school curriculums on Chinese literature and social sciences.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times

Groups yesterday protested the Ministry of Education’s bid to “slightly adjust” the national high-school curriculum, calling the move part of a “brainwashing” policy that would see the new curriculum reflect a more China-oriented perspective.

Despite the groups’ opposition, the ministry later formally approved a new curriculum on Chinese literature and social sciences.

CDC issues alert after H10N8 bird flu found in China

Taipei Times

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) cautioned travelers planning to visit China to avoid coming into contact with fowl, after the country reported the world’s second confirmed case of avian influenza strain H10N8 infecting a human.

The CDC said it confirmed with Chinese health authorities that the second case of H10N8 was detected in Jiangxi Province, which is where the first-ever incident of a human contracting the bird flu subtype was reported in November last year.

Truck crashes into Presidential Office

Taipei Times

Workers yesterday tow away a truck that was driven through security obstacles and up the stairs of the main entrance of the Presidential Office earlier in the day in what police say was an intentional act.
Photo: Chen En-hui, Taipei Times

A driver rammed a large truck into the main gate of the Presidential Office yesterday morning, in what police have initially determined was an intentional act.

Chiehshou Police Station Chief Tsai Han-cheng (蔡漢政) said the driver has been identified as Chang Ter-cheng (張德正).

The incident — the most serious security breach to occur at the Presidential Office in years — took place at 5:05am when Chang drove a 35-tonne truck into the office, ramming through three layers of protective barriers and speeding up a flight of stairs before being stopped by a bulletproof door leading to the office’s main building, police said.

Control Yuan is an inept dinosaur

Taipei Times Editorial

In the wake of an increasing number of controversial — or seemingly pointless, but highly politicized — decisions, a growing number of Taiwanese are wondering whether the Control Yuan should be abolished.

Some of the Control Yuan’s more controversial moves include the failure to impeach Prosecutor-General Huang Shih-ming (黃世銘) for allegedly leaking details of an ongoing investigation to President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九); the failure to impeach Keelung Mayor Chang Tong-rong (張通榮) after he was convicted of influence peddling and interfering with police in a drunk driving case; and the efforts of some Control Yuan members to get defector Justin Lin’s (林毅夫) name off the most-wanted list, even though as recently as July 2009 the watchdog body censured the Ministry of National Defense over the former army captain’s defection to China more than 30 years ago.

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