Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

As if the Ministry of National Defense did not already have enough on its plate as it makes the fitful transition to an all-volunteer military system, the death of a 23-year-old soldier under mysterious circumstances on July 4 risks making the task of attracting recruits all the more onerous.

Army Corporal Hung Chung-chiu’s (洪仲丘) death in Taoyuan, from what the public is told was heat stroke, is a stark reminder of the risks that come with a job in the armed forces, as well as of the culture of violence that exists in military establishments the world over.

Elementary-school students in Hong Kong recently received a student handbook about the territory’s Basic Law from school authorities. Yet in many places, the handbook is unrelated to the law. Instead it contains a wealth of patriotic material, including directing students to work for unification with Taiwan, claiming that it “is part of our sacred territory.”

Parents and Internet users have been fiercely critical of the Hong Kong government for, as they see it, using the Basic Law as a brainwashing tool. Some have even responded by calling Taiwan an independent country and not part of Chinese territory.