The Central Election Commission (CEC) is to hold hearings on Sept. 24 to examine referendum proposed by animal rights groups on banning snare traps and pigeon sea races.
There would be a morning hearing for the referendum proposed by Taiwan One Ecology Coalition spokesperson Pan Han-chiang (潘翰疆) in July, while the hearing for Taiwan Bird Rescue Association Secretary-General Wu Yu-hsin’s (吳雨心) referendum on banning pigeon sea races would be held at 2:30pm the same day, the CEC said, adding that both hearings allow auditing by no more than 20 people.
The commission said it has listed a few important issues on the agenda for discussion.
Photo: Lee Wen-hsin, Taipei Times
The snare trap ban proposal states that the use, possession, sale, production, display, export and import of wild boar snare traps should be “completely prohibited,” but that could clash with indigenous people’s right to hunt wild animals under the Indigenous Peoples Basic Act (原住民族基本法) and cannot be sent for referendum, the commission said.
The proposal might not constitute “an initiative on legislative principles” as specified in Subparagraph 2, Paragaph 2, Article 2 of the Referendum Act (公民投票法), as current regulations and amendments have already stipulated a “prohibition subject to permission” principle for controlling the use of wild boar snare traps, it said.
The words “brutal,” “inhuman,” “abuse,” “rampant” and “unscrupulous hunters” might not be objective and are not neutral words, the CEC added.
The proposal mentions that “the industrial chain of poached wild animal meat is rampant” and that “game hunting for food has caused concern over variant viruses and potential spread of human diseases via cross-species transmission,” apparently attributing illegal poaching and potential epidemics to wild boar snare traps, which might not be factual, it said.
More evidence is required to substantiate the proposal’s statements that “modified wild boar snare traps are just smaller traps,” and that “the modified snare traps promoted by the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency are as dangerous a hunting device as the original version, as it has not yet been proved that the modified wire diameter, pressure and limiter could prevent it from trapping other wild animals,” the commission said.
Meanwhile, the pigeon sea race ban proposal should specify whether “pigeon racing on the sea” is equivalent to “pigeon racing on the high seas,” as the proposal of a referendum is limited to “one case, one issue” according to the Referendum Act, it said.
Further clarification is required as to whether the “pigeon racing on the sea” and “pigeon racing on the high seas” can be regarded as connected and supplementary to each other and thus interpreted as “one issue,” otherwise it might clash with the act, the commission added.
The proposal mentioned that “pigeon sea races often involve local bigwigs and politicians who are in cahoots, resulting in the authorities taking no action, but the word “cahoots” has negative connotations, it said.
The proposal’s statement that “we believe only the strong public opinion reflected in a referendum can stop the brutal and immoral illegal gambling” might be misleading and misrepresent the referendum’s intention, as it links pigeon sea racing to illegal gambling, the commission said.
A tropical depression in waters east of the Philippines could develop into a tropical storm as soon as today and bring rainfall as it approaches, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, while issuing heat warnings for 14 cities and counties. Weather model simulations show that there are still considerable differences in the path that the tropical depression is projected to take. It might pass through the Bashi Channel to the South China Sea or turn northeast and move toward the sea south of Japan, CWA forecaster Yeh Chih-chun (葉致均) said, adding that the uncertainty of its movement is still high,
TAIWANESE INNOVATION: The ‘Seawool’ fabric generates about NT$200m a year, with the bulk of it sourced by clothing brands operating in Europe and the US Growing up on Taiwan’s west coast where mollusk farming is popular, Eddie Wang saw discarded oyster shells transformed from waste to function — a memory that inspired him to create a unique and environmentally friendly fabric called “Seawool.” Wang remembered that residents of his seaside hometown of Yunlin County used discarded oyster shells that littered the streets during the harvest as insulation for their homes. “They burned the shells and painted the residue on the walls. The houses then became warm in the winter and cool in the summer,” the 42-year-old said at his factory in Tainan. “So I was
THE TOUR: Pope Francis has gone on a 12-day visit to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore. He was also invited to Taiwan The government yesterday welcomed Pope Francis to the Asia-Pacific region and said it would continue extending an invitation for him to visit Taiwan. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs made the remarks as Pope Francis began a 12-day tour of the Asia-Pacific on Monday. He is to travel about 33,000km by air to visit Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore, and would arrive back in Rome on Friday next week. It would be the longest and most challenging trip of Francis’ 11-year papacy. The 87-year-old has had health issues over the past few years and now uses a wheelchair. The ministry said
Discounted 72-hour Taipei Metro passes are to be offered to China Airlines passengers until Feb. 28 next year, the airline announced today. China Airlines passengers may present their boarding pass for a discount of up to 34 percent when buying a Taipei Metro 72-hour unlimited travel pass. The offer is available to international travelers on international flights bound for Taipei. Within seven days of arrival, travelers can present their boarding pass, passport and proof of flight payment at an EZfly counter in Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport or Taoyuan MRT Taipei Main Station to obtain the discounted passes, the airline said. One 72-hour pass