Taiwan protesters demand minister’s resignation

TAIPEI: Nearly a thousand people rallied outside Taiwan’s education ministry on Sunday, demanding the minister’s resignation and the scrapping of what they describe as a “China-centric” high school curriculum.
The protesters, whom police estimated at around 800, ripped up the new versions of textbooks printed under the new curriculum guidelines.
The crowd, most of them adults, chanted slogans like “Supporting students”, “Safeguarding democracy” and “Minister Wu Se-hwa step down”.
The turnout was the largest since July 24 when 30 protesters, many of them students, broke into the ministry to protest at the changes.
They were arrested and later released but some face charges.
Young activist Lin Kuan-hua, one of those involved in breaking into the ministry, committed suicide at his home on Thursday.
Protesters on Sunday paid tribute to Lin, adorning an iron fence outside the ministry with hundreds of flowers, half of them white roses.
“The flowers are in memory of Lin,” said Chuo Li-chen, a 57-year-old housewife from the northern city of Taoyuan.