Animal rights advocates yesterday rallied outside the Judicial Yuan in Taipei, warning that granting Aboriginal hunting rights constitutionality would result in an ecological disaster.
The rally was held ahead of the Council of Grand Justices issuing a constitutional interpretation on the hunting rights of Aborigines.
Aborigines consider regaining their traditional hunting rights an important part of the government’s implementation of “transitional justice.”
Photo: CNA
Bunun man Tama Talum from Taitung County’s Haiduan Township (海端) in 2013 was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison for contravening the Act Controlling Guns, Knives and Ammunition (槍砲彈藥刀械管制條例) and the Wildlife Conservation Act (野生動物保育法) after he shot a Reeves’ muntjac and a Formosan serow with a modified rifle.
The Supreme Court in 2015 dismissed his appeal to have the charges overturned, but in 2017 it granted an extraordinary appeal to have the case referred for an interpretation by the Council of Grand Justices.
The council concluded its deliberation on the constitutionality of the issue on March 9 and is expected to issue an interpretation before April 9.
Environment and Animal Society of Taiwan director Shih Wu-hung (釋悟泓) said that people should not mistake hunting rights with hunting culture.
Turning one group of Aborigines’ hunting culture into a legal right for all Aborigines is tantamount to annulling the Wildlife Conservation Act, as the act would no longer have jurisdiction over Aborigines, Shih said.
The act has clauses that respect Aboriginal culture, allowing Aborigines to hunt and kill animals, including some endangered animals, as long as they apply for a permit, he said.
Any move to allow Aborigines free rein to hunt endangered species would, in effect, grant them special powers, and breach the principle of equality and proportionality, he added.
It is possible that “ceremonies” could be held every two or three days should the interpretation allow Aborigines to hunt, which would be a disaster for wildlife, Shih said.
Aboriginal hunting culture should be respected, but claiming that it is a “right” that should be reinstated under “transitional justice” is ludicrous, Shih said.
Aborigines have suffered at the hands of other humans, not animals, he said.
The Council of Grand Justices should instead review whether Aborigines still suffer “unequal treatment” in terms of political participation, social position and other social and economic rights, he added.
Additional reporting by CNA
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