The Control Yuan yesterday called for the expungement of a conviction for illegal hunting against Tama Talum, a Bunun man who was last year pardoned by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) after the charges were deemed “partly unconstitutional.”
Despite the pardon, “justice has not been served” for Tama Talum, who is also known as Wang Kuang-lu (王光祿) in Chinese, Control Yuan Member Wang Mei-yu (王美玉) said in a press release.
Tama Talum was in 2015 sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison for using an illegal rifle and killing protected species without permission, but the Council of Grand Justices (now the Constitutional Court) later deemed the verdict partly unconstitutional, resulting in the case being referred back to the Supreme Court.
Photo: CNA
Tama Talum avoided prison after Tsai pardoned him “out of respect for indigenous people’s traditions,” amid fierce criticism of the rules governing indigenous peoples’ hunting rights.
Wang Mei-yu, who in 2015 initiated an investigation into the case following a public outcry over the verdict, recently published a report suggesting that the Control Yuan petition the prosecutor-general to pursue an extraordinary appeal to overturn Tama Talum’s criminal conviction.
The Control Yuan endorsed the report after a meeting of its Committee on Judicial and Prison Administration Affairs, and to communicate with the Ministry of Justice to facilitate an extraordinary appeal by the prosecutor-general, Wang Mei-yu said.
Tama Talum’s conviction indicated that the judicial system failed to recognize indigenous peoples’ constitutionally protected rights to practice hunting culture, she said.
The investigation exposed long-standing issues involving “inadequate” legal protections for indigenous peoples’ hunting rights and regulations of hunting weapons, she said.
Wang Mei-yu said similar issues had long been a source of friction between indigenous communities and other Taiwanese, adding that the verdict would exacerbate such conflicts if it is not overridden.
Reasserting that hunting is a cultural right of indigenous hunters, the Council of Grand Justices handed down a mixed ruling in Tama Talum’s case.
The court reaffirmed the constitutionality of requiring indigenous people to use only traditional, “self-made” firearms, but ordered the legislature to revise the rules that define such guns.
Meanwhile, the court also found that requiring indigenous people to apply for permission before hunting was constitutional, but nullified a series of administrative regulations requiring hunters to apply at least five days in advance of “non-regular” hunts and to list the species and number of animals they are planning to kill in advance.
To date, the laws and regulations deemed unconstitutional have not been amended, but the Council of Agriculture and other government agencies have held discussions on possible revisions.
Honor guards are to stop performing changing of the guard ceremonies around a statue of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) to avoid “worshiping authoritarianism,” the Ministry of Culture said yesterday. The fate of the bronze statue has long been the subject of fierce and polarizing debate in Taiwan, which has transformed from an autocracy under Chiang into one of Asia’s most vibrant democracies. The changing of the guard each hour at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei is a major tourist attraction, but starting from 9am on Monday, the ceremony is to be moved outdoors to Democracy Boulevard, outside the eponymous blue-and-white memorial
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) supports peaceful unification with China, and President William Lai (賴清德) is “a bit naive” for being a “practical worker for Taiwanese independence,” former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said in an interview published yesterday. Asked about whether the KMT is on the same page as the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) on the issue of Taiwanese independence or unification with China, Ma told the Malaysian Chinese-language newspaper Sin Chew Daily that they are not. While the KMT supports peaceful unification and is against unification by force, the DPP opposes unification as such and
The government would cancel kendo practitioner Su Yu-cheng’s (蘇郁程) nationality if he is confirmed to have represented China in the World Kendo Championships in Milan, Italy, last week, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday. “We have consulted the Sports Administration and were told that athletes participating in the championships must have the nationality of the country that they represent. They must also present their passports as proof,” council spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) told a weekly news conference. “If Su indeed represented China in the championships, we suspect that he has obtained Chinese nationality.” The Act Governing Relations Between the People of the
FATAL ILLNESS: Untreated symptoms can rapidly worsen to complications such as high fever, seizures and loss of consciousness, and can be life-threatening, a doctor said Hospitals have been reporting dozens of people with heat-related illnesses every day over the past week, given continuous high daytime temperatures, so recognizing the early signs of heatstroke is crucial in preventing serious complications, a Taipei City Hospital emergency physician said. The Central Weather Administration yesterday issued a heat alert for 19 cities and counties across Taiwan, with temperatures in New Taipei City, Miaoli County and Pingtung County likely to exceed 38°C, and temperatures in 12 cities and counties likely to exceed 36°C for three days straight. More than a dozen people were taken to hospitals for heat-related illnesses every day from