People who touch protected sea turtles without permission could be fined up to NT$300,000, Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration warned on Friday after it caught a teenage tourist doing so, in Pingtung County.
“A touch of a sea turtle could cost you NT$300,000,” said a post on the Facebook page of the coast guard’s general-director’s office on Friday.
“Never touch sea turtles,” added the post, which was accompanied by a photo of a snorkeler touching a green turtle, a protected species in Taiwan.
At about 2pm on Thursday a coast guard patrol near Pingtung County’s Siaoliouciou Island (小琉球) responded after the picture, showing a snorkeler at Beauty Cave beach touching a sea turtle, showed up on social media.
The patrol found a German family at the beach and the 17-year-old boy from the photo, according to the coast guard.
Experts at the Pingtung-based National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium, at the behest of the coast guard, identified the turtle as a protected green turtle, the agency said.
The teenager, who was vacationing in Taiwan with his family, has been barred from leaving the country pending an investigation and a hearing at Pingtung District Court, which could occur as soon as next week, the coast guard said.
It was unclear if the teenager would also face jail time.
Under the Wildlife Conservation Act (野生動物保育法), anyone found guilty of disturbing, abusing, hunting or killing protected wildlife would be subject to a penalty of imprisonment for up to one year, imprisonment with a fine of between NT$60,000 and NT$300,000 or simply a fine of the same amount.
The fine would go up to NT$500,000 if the animal were killed, according to the act.
The coast guard’s post said it was not the first time tourists in Siaoliouciou Island were found disturbing wildlife in violation of the law.
“Although Siaoliouciou Island has one of the highest concentrations of sea turtles of any island in the world, there are only around 160 sea turtles in waters surrounding the coral island,” the post said.
The coast guard urged people to follow basic guidelines for protecting sea turtles, including not touching, not catching, not disturbing, not surrounding for any length of time or not chasing after sea turtles.
Divers should also keep a distance of at least 5m from a sea turtle and refrain from the use of sunblock products that could damage coral reefs, it added.
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
EVA Airways on Saturday said that it had suspended a pilot and opened an investigation after he allegedly lost his temper and punched the first officer several times as their plane was taxiing before takeoff at Los Angeles International Airport. According to a report published on Thursday by The Reporter, the incident occurred after the flight’s Malaysian first officer tried to warn the Taiwanese pilot, surnamed Wen (文), that he was taxiing faster than the speed limit of 30 knots (55.6kph). After alerting the pilot several times without response, the first officer manually applied the brakes in accordance with standard operating
NOT AN OPENING: Trump’s violation of international law does not affect China’s consideration in attacking Taiwan; Beijing lacks capability, not precedent, an official said Taiwanese officials see the US’ capture of the president of Venezuela as a powerful deterrent to Beijing’s aggression and a timely reminder of the US’ ability to defeat militaries equipped with Chinese-made weapons. The strikes that toppled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro signaled to authoritarian leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), US President Donald Trump’s willingness to use military might for international affairs core to US interests, one senior official in Taipei’s security circle said. That reassured Taiwan, the person said. Taipei has also dismissed the idea that Trump’s apparent violation of international law could embolden Beijing, said the official, who was not
RSS