Forest police denied on Tuesday that they had forcefully dispersed Aboriginal hunters from land reserved for the Puyuma tribe in Taitung County.
The Taitung branch of the Forest and Nature Conservation Police Unit also stressed in a press statement that it fully respects the Pinuyumayan tribal hunting culture.
The forest police squad issued the statement after more than 60 Puyuma tribesmen converged on Sunday to voice their anger over what they called the Taitung forest police squad's late-night chase and body search of tribal hunters in the county's Chihpen Township (
The tribesmen said they were eligible to hunt in the mountainous Chihpen region from Dec. 26, last year through Jan. 1 to celebrate the tribe's annual hunting festival, stressing that the activities had been approved in advance by the Taitung County Government.
However, they claimed, armed forest police launched a raid at around 2am on Dec. 31, chasing hunters from the areas reserved for the Puyuma tribe.
In the process, they claimed that some hunters were chased around the rugged mountainous terrain in the dark, while several others were subjected to body searches.
The protesters, including members of youth and elders clubs in the Chienho, Chulu and Lihia communities, demanded that forest police and other government units provide an explanation of the incident. If such an explanation is not forthcoming, they said, they will stage more protests in the near future.
In response, a forest police unit press statement said hunting activities are allowed only in Puyuma reservation areas. Police officers took action only after hearing gunshots in the Chihpen forest park, where hunting is prohibited, according to the statement. It also claimed that the police only persuaded the tribesmen to leave the region and did not target any specific individuals. Moreover, the statement denied that any body searches were carried out.
Reiterating that no guns are allowed in the forest recreation park, the statement said the police officers were carrying out their duties in accordance with the law.
To avoid future misunderstandings, the statement said, the forest police squad will strengthen communications with the tribesmen and exercise caution and prudence in maintaining law and order during important tribal festivals.
WANG RELEASED: A police investigation showed that an organized crime group allegedly taught their clients how to pretend to be sick during medical exams Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and 11 others were released on bail yesterday, after being questioned for allegedly dodging compulsory military service or forging documents to help others avoid serving. Wang, 33, was catapulted into stardom for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代). Lately, he has been focusing on developing his entertainment career in China. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month began investigating an organized crime group that is allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified documents. Police in New Taipei City Yonghe Precinct at the end of last month arrested the main suspect,
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
RISING TOURISM: A survey showed that tourist visits increased by 35 percent last year, while newly created attractions contributed almost half of the growth Changhua County’s Lukang Old Street (鹿港老街) and its surrounding historical area clinched first place among Taiwan’s most successful tourist attractions last year, while no location in eastern Taiwan achieved a spot in the top 20 list, the Tourism Administration said. The listing was created by the Tourism Administration’s Forward-looking Tourism Policy Research office. Last year, the Lukang Old Street and its surrounding area had 17.3 million visitors, more than the 16 million visitors for the Wenhua Road Night Market (文化路夜市) in Chiayi City and 14.5 million visitors at Tainan’s Anping (安平) historical area, it said. The Taipei 101 skyscraper and its environs —
Taiwan on Friday said a New Zealand hamburger restaurant has apologized for a racist remark to a Taiwanese customer after reports that it had first apologized to China sparked outrage in Taiwan. An image posted on Threads by a Taiwanese who ate at Fergburger in Queenstown showed that their receipt dated Sunday last week included the words “Ching Chang,” a racial slur. The Chinese Consulate-General in Christchurch in a statement on Thursday said it had received and accepted an apology from the restaurant over the incident. The comment triggered an online furor among Taiwanese who saw it as an insult to the
RSS