Kuma Academy (simplified Chinese: 黑熊学院; traditional Chinese: 黑熊學院; pinyin: Hēxióng Xuéyuàn), also known as the Black Bear Academy, is a Taiwanese non-profit civil defense organization which provides training to civilians on a variety of topics.
| Founders | Puma Shen[1] Ho Cheng-Hui[2] |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Services | Civil defense training |
| Website | kuma-academy |
Overview
editKuma Academy provides civil defense training to civilians in Taiwan.[3] Classes cover topics like first aid and media literacy to combat disinformation from China.[4]
Kuma Academy has also provided training in open-source intelligence and cybersecurity.[1] According to Kuma their goal is "to decentralise civil defence."[5]
History
edit
Kuma Academy was founded by Puma Shen and Ho Cheng-Hui.[2]
Interest in the organization, and civil defense overall, dramatically increased following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[6] In September 2022, the Kuma Academy had a waitlist of more than 3,000 for its classes.[7]
In 2022, retired businessman Robert Tsao pledged NTD $600m to Kuma Academy.[8] In October 2024, the government of China's Taiwan Affairs Office said that it would sanction and "punish" Tsao and Puma Shen for their support of the academy.[9]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Allen-Ebrahimian, Bethany. "Taiwanese citizens prepare for possible cyber war". axios.com. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- ^ a b Kelter, Frederik. "Taiwanese train for war after year of crises". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
- ^ Wang, Joyu (2022-03-04). "In Taiwan, Russia's War in Ukraine Stirs New Interest in Self-Defense". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2022-10-10.
- ^ Philbrick, Ian Prasad (2022-06-19). "A Looming Threat". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-10-10.
- ^ Davidson, Helen (2022-10-09). "Taiwan's citizen warriors prepare to confront looming threat from China". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2024-10-14.
- ^ Chase, Steven (18 September 2022). "In Taiwan, fear of Chinese invasion sparks fresh interest in self-defence". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- ^ Parry, Richard Lloyd (20 September 2022). "Taiwanese queue to learn first aid as China's invasion threat intensifies". The Times. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- ^ Yu-fu, Chen (24 September 2022). "Robert Tsao pledges money to make 1m combat drones". Taipei Times. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- ^ Pomfret, James; Blanchard, Ben (October 14, 2024). "China sanctions Taiwan businessman Robert Tsao and lawmaker for 'separatist' acts". Reuters. Retrieved October 14, 2024.