Yes to potential leash law
Reading through your articles online, I was so pleased to see that leash laws are on the agenda (“Kaohsiung mulls new leash laws,” Dec. 6, page 2). It is my wish that the law passes, as it is one of my biggest concerns living in southern Taiwan.
Coming from Canada — where leashes are mandatory — to this area where dogs are allowed to freely roam the streets, comes as quite a shock. There seems to be little to no animal control. I was happy to read the article because I firmly believe that leashes protect civilians and other animals.
Also, we have to face the fact that some people do not know how to control aggression. Some of these pets are disasters waiting to happen. There have been numerous times, while walking my dog — on a leash — that I have come into contact with nasty canines. Most of them leave you alone when you threaten them, but what about children? How many kids need to be bitten before everyone wakes up and realizes that leash laws are a must? What is the use of yelling at your dog after it has injured someone or another dog? The damage has been done.
We can also assume that most dog owners that allow their pets to run around freely do not clean up after their pets. I doubt that they would follow their dogs’ steps in order to clean up the poo. So in essence, the leash law helps with the laws pertaining to cleaning up after your dogs.
If we take Canada, the US and many other developed democratic countries as an example, we can see that the majority have instituted leash laws. These laws protect the dogs, their owners and everyone else who comes in contact with them. Thus, I am very pleased to hear about Greater Kaohsiung considering implementing leash laws, but I will be even happier when I see it become law.
SCOTT INGRAM
Kaohsiung
Speaking at the Copenhagen Democracy Summit on May 13, former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said that democracies must remain united and that “Taiwan’s security is essential to regional stability and to defending democratic values amid mounting authoritarianism.” Earlier that day, Tsai had met with a group of Danish parliamentarians led by Danish Parliament Speaker Pia Kjaersgaard, who has visited Taiwan many times, most recently in November last year, when she met with President William Lai (賴清德) at the Presidential Office. Kjaersgaard had told Lai: “I can assure you that ... you can count on us. You can count on our support
Denmark has consistently defended Greenland in light of US President Donald Trump’s interests and has provided unwavering support to Ukraine during its war with Russia. Denmark can be proud of its clear support for peoples’ democratic right to determine their own future. However, this democratic ideal completely falls apart when it comes to Taiwan — and it raises important questions about Denmark’s commitment to supporting democracies. Taiwan lives under daily military threats from China, which seeks to take over Taiwan, by force if necessary — an annexation that only a very small minority in Taiwan supports. Denmark has given China a
Many local news media over the past week have reported on Internet personality Holger Chen’s (陳之漢) first visit to China between Tuesday last week and yesterday, as remarks he made during a live stream have sparked wide discussions and strong criticism across the Taiwan Strait. Chen, better known as Kuan Chang (館長), is a former gang member turned fitness celebrity and businessman. He is known for his live streams, which are full of foul-mouthed and hypermasculine commentary. He had previously spoken out against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and criticized Taiwanese who “enjoy the freedom in Taiwan, but want China’s money”
A high-school student surnamed Yang (楊) gained admissions to several prestigious medical schools recently. However, when Yang shared his “learning portfolio” on social media, he was caught exaggerating and even falsifying content, and his admissions were revoked. Now he has to take the “advanced subjects test” scheduled for next month. With his outstanding performance in the general scholastic ability test (GSAT), Yang successfully gained admissions to five prestigious medical schools. However, his university dreams have now been frustrated by the “flaws” in his learning portfolio. This is a wake-up call not only for students, but also teachers. Yang did make a big
RSS