| Founders | Puma Shen Ho Cheng-Hui [zh] |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Services | Civil defense training |
| Website | kuma-academy |
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.
Overview
Kuma Academy provides civil defense training to civilians in Taiwan. Classes cover topics like first aid and media literacy to combat disinformation from China.
Kuma Academy has also provided training in open-source intelligence and cybersecurity. According to Kuma their goal is "to decentralise civil defence."
History
Kuma Academy was founded by Puma Shen and Ho Cheng-Hui.
Interest in the organization, and civil defense overall, dramatically increased following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In September 2022, the Kuma Academy had a waitlist of more than 3,000 for its classes.
In 2022, retired businessman Robert Tsao pledged NTD $600m to Kuma Academy. 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.
See also
References
- ^ Allen-Ebrahimian, Bethany. "Taiwanese citizens prepare for possible cyber war". axios.com. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- ^ 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.
