DPP Legislator Accuses KMT of Undermining Taiwan's Defense Strategy

DPP Legislator Puma Shen alleges opposition parties are obstructing US arms deals and targeting civil defense efforts. He refutes accusations of being a US spy and emphasizes that misinformation campaigns are undermining Taiwan's defense. Shen's Kuma Academy, founded to train volunteers, gained prominence after Pelosi's Taipei visit in 2022.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen has leveled accusations against opposition forces, particularly the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), accusing them of conspiring with pro-China groups to disrupt Taiwan's purchase of US arms and weaken its whole-of-society defense strategy. Shen highlighted attacks on Kuma Academy, a civil defense non-profit he co-founded, as part of this orchestrated effort, reported Taipei Times.

During a press conference, Shen stated that he and the academy are under siege by the KMT, Taiwan People's Party (TPP), and the Chinese Communist Party, in what he described as a bid to destabilize Taiwan's civil defense measures. Recent claims against Shen include accusations of him being a US spy, secretly funded by America, and owning multiple US properties, according to Taipei Times. Taipei City Councilor Hou Han-ting has called for an investigation into these claims, alleging Shen received support from the American Institute in Taiwan.

Hou also claimed Shen remarked that Chinese missile threats would be advantageous, interpreting it as a profit-driven comment. Shen dismissed these claims as baseless and part of a Chinese disinformation campaign, clarifying that his comment was misrepresented. As a criminology professor with expertise in countering disinformation and Chinese propaganda, Shen co-founded Kuma Academy in 2021 to bolster civil defense training among volunteers. The academy gained increased attention following Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taipei in 2022, coinciding with Chinese military maneuvers. In response, businesses have shown greater support for Kuma Academy, though Shen criticized assertions of exploiting missile threats as "absurd," noted Taipei Times.

(With inputs from agencies.)