NEW CONSERVATION ACT FINES INDIGENOUS HUNTERS WITHOUT CHARGES|政院修野保法 原民捕保育動物僅罰款

On September 23, the Executive Yuan made an important draft amendment to Article 51 of the Wildlife Conservation Act. The draft aims to strike a balance between wildlife conservation and indigenous cultural practises. In the future when indigenous hunters kill protected animal species, they will only be fined and not charged with a criminal offense. The Bunun Hunter Tama Talum hunted and killed a Formosan Reeve's muntjac deer, a protected species, for his mother to eat. He was charged and sentenced to three years and 6 months in jail. To avoid this, the Executive Yuan passed a draft amendment to Paragraph 1, Article 51 of the Wildlife Conservation Act. This states that indigenous hunters who kill protected animal species, will only be fined and not have to face criminal charges. ==HSIA JUNG-SHENG, Conservation Division Leader, Forestry Bureau== Previously, when indigenous people killed protected animal species, as Article 51 of the Wildlife Conservation Act does not clearly state otherwise, court may refer to the article as a basis for judgement criminal punishment. The Forestry Bureau emphasized that it tries to strike a balance between wildlife conservation and indigenous cultural practise. However, some indigenous representatives said, that because hunting is part of traditional indigenous cultural practise, the government should decriminalise all hunting to show a respect for indigenous culture. ==UTUX LBAK, Speaker, Atayal National Assembly== Personally, I think it should be completely decriminalised, where there are any penalties. If there are penalties it is disrespectful of our culture. The draft amendment states indigenous hunters who kill protected species can pay fines ranging from NT$20,000 to NT$100,000, and will be exempted from criminal charges. TRANSLATED BY：ANTHONY LIN 原住民打獵被判刑，引起真多爭議，23號行政院會通過野生動物保育法修正草案，未來原住民抓保育類動物，只罰款，不免刑事處罰，希望可以減少司法爭議，不過原住民族代表呼籲，應該全面除罪化才是尊重原住民。 布農族獵人王光祿為母親獵捕保育類動物山羌，卻遭法院判刑三年六個月，引發爭議，為了避免類似事情再發生，行政院會通過野保法第51條之1修正草案，將來原住民獵捕保育類動物，明定採罰款，避免刑事處罰。 ==農委會林務局保育組長 夏榮生== 之前如果原住民朋友 他獵捕到保育類動物的時候 可能因為在51條裡面 並沒有一個明確化的條文 因此法官會把他可能會把它 援引到刑法的一個裁處的基準 林務局強調，這是希望兼顧野生動物保育與原住民族文化，不過有原住民族代表認為，狩獵本來就是傳統文化的一部分，應該全面除罪化，才是真正的尊重。 ==泰雅爾民族議會議長 烏杜夫‧勒巴克== 我個人來講應該是 整個除罪化才對 不管它是有沒有刑責 只要還是有罰則的話 那還是一樣不尊重我們這樣子 這次修正草案，是在野保法第51條之1的條文，明定原住民族違反規定，罰繳新臺幣2萬到10萬元，即能避免移送刑罰處置。 記者 林靜梅 郭俊麟 台北報導