Lin Kuan-hua, 20, took his own life yesterday. He had been charged for breaking into the Education Ministry. The young man’s mother calls on students not to follow her son’s example. Students demand the resignation of Minister Wu Se-hwa.

 

Taipei (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Hundreds demonstrated outside Taiwan’s Education Ministry calling for the minister to resign after a student leader committed suicide.

Lin Kuan-hua, 20, who took his own life yesterday morning, was reportedly one of 30 students who were charged for breaking into the ministry last week.

He was also spokesman of a group opposed to Taiwan’s new “mainland China-centric” school curriculum.

“We will not let Lin Kuan-hua die in vain!” Chu Chen, a spokesman for the student protest group, told the growing crowd, as chants calling for Education Minister Wu Se-hwa to step down rang out.

Later the crowds began to thin, leaving only a core of some 200 people in the square, still chanting “step down minister” and “retract the curriculum”. The group vowed to remain until morning.

Lin was in a bad mood in recent days, which is probably what led to his death. Student pressure seemed to be going nowhere.

The young man, who dropped out of vocational school in June, was reportedly facing charges of breaching government premises and causing damage after last week’s break-in.

Lin’s mother asked other protesters not to follow his example. “I don’t want to see another incident happening like Kuan-hua,” she said.

Education Minister Wu visited Lin’s family on Thursday to express his regrets for the turn of events.

Huang Kun-hui, chairman of the anti-China Taiwan Solidarity Union, demanded that the Education minister immediately drop charges against the students and take responsibility by stepping down.

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