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.
‘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
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
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
RSS