There were chaotic scenes outside the Taipei District Court yesterday as the trial of suspected cat killer Chan Ho-yeung (陳皓揚) opened, with angry protesters scuffling with police and some breaking through a cordon to attack Chan as he left the building.
More than 100 animal rights activists gathered in front of the court to protest against the killing of popular stray cat “Big Orange” in December last year, shouting that Chan was “human trash” and “a low life” and demanding that the court sentence him to the heaviest penalty stipulated by the Animal Protection Act (動物保護法).
Chan has also been accused of beating to death a cat known as “Ban Ban” (班班), that had been kept as a pet by a vegetarian restaurant and went missing on Aug. 2.
Photo: CNA
The 22-year-old National Taiwan University (NTU) graduate student from Macau represented himself without a lawyer at the proceeding, where he was charged with violating the Animal Protection Act over Big Orange’s death.
Chan admitted guilt, telling judges: “I have a psychological problem, and I could not control the compulsion to kill a cat. So when I saw Big Orange as I was passing by, I could not restrain myself from committing the crime.”
Prosecutors said NTU had provided Chan with psychological counseling, but he still allegedly killed a second cat, which shows that he has deeply ingrained antisocial tendencies and lacks compassion for animal life.
Photo: Huang Yao-cheng, Taipei Times
Therefore, counseling is insufficient, and Chan should be ordered to undergo psychiatric treatment at NTU Hospital, to stop him from torturing and killing any more cats, prosecutors said.
The judges released Chan on NT$200,000 bail. His next court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 22.
Trees Party Secretary-General Lee Chien-ming (李建明) said that the courts usually treat animal abusers leniently.
Chan is a repeat offender, as he allegedly killed another cat in Taipei on Aug. 2, and he should be punished proportionately and ordered to undergo therapy, Lee said.
Animal rights advocates called on the legislature to immediately approve draft amendments of the Animal Protection Act, which would double the penalties for animal cruelty from a maximum one-year prison sentence and a fine of between NT$100,000 and NT$1 million (US$3,197 and US$31,969) to a maximum two-year prison sentence and a fine of between NT$200,000 and NT$2 million.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Huang Wei-cher (黃偉哲) said animal cruelty is an early predictor of later violent crimes against people, and increased penalties for animal abuse are necessary to prevent more serious crimes.
Animal rights advocates from Macau said they suspect Chan was behind the deaths of three stray cats in Macau during the Lunar New Year holidays, and they were concerned that Chan would harm more animals if he was released and deported to the territory.
Chan was escorted through a furious crowd to a car supplied by NTU, with protesters throwing objects and trying to obstruct the car.
Before he got into the car, protesters scuffled with police trying to protect Chan, who was punched, gouged, and put in a headlock by members of the crowd.
Several court bailiffs and journalists were knocked down by the surging crowd, with some sustaining minor bruises.
Two police officials also received minor injuries during the commotion.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as