TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Democratic Progressive Party (DPP, 民進黨) Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋), also the co-founder of the non-profit civil defense organization Kuma Academy (黑熊學院), admitted on Monday (March 10) receiving funds from the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT).
In an afternoon DPP press briefing, Shen argued that he was a scholar at that time, and defended the normality for scholars to receive various international budgets and grants. Shen's remarks came after New Party member Ho Han-ting (侯漢廷) revealed a recording of Shen's meeting at the academy on Sept. 16, 2022.
In the audio file, Shen mentioned that AIT's funding allowed the academy to continue its civil training camps, with initial funds transferred to his personal account due to the academy's lack of company registration. Hou accused Shen of contradictions, highlighting Shen's claim that the recording was factual while also accusing Hou of defamation.
Shen explained that he sometimes applied for funding under his name or through organizations he established, such as the Doublethink Lab (台灣民主實驗室) or Kuma Academy. He emphasized the legitimacy of his research on China's infiltration and civil defense awareness. Shen addressed concerns about AIT's involvement, clarifying that, unlike businesses, NGOs do not let funding sources dictate their research directions.