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Forest police deny forced dispersal of tribal hunters

Forest police denied on Tuesday that they had forcefully dispersed Aboriginal hunters from land reserved for the Puyuma tribe in Taitung County.

The Taitung branch of the Forest and Nature Conservation Police Unit also stressed in a press statement that it fully respects the Pinuyumayan tribal hunting culture.

The forest police squad issued the statement after more than 60 Puyuma tribesmen converged on Sunday to voice their anger over what they called the Taitung forest police squad's late-night chase and body search of tribal hunters in the county's Chihpen Township (知本) late last month.

The tribesmen said they were eligible to hunt in the mountainous Chihpen region from Dec. 26, last year through Jan. 1 to celebrate the tribe's annual hunting festival, stressing that the activities had been approved in advance by the Taitung County Government.

However, they claimed, armed forest police launched a raid at around 2am on Dec. 31, chasing hunters from the areas reserved for the Puyuma tribe.

In the process, they claimed that some hunters were chased around the rugged mountainous terrain in the dark, while several others were subjected to body searches.

The protesters, including members of youth and elders clubs in the Chienho, Chulu and Lihia communities, demanded that forest police and other government units provide an explanation of the incident. If such an explanation is not forthcoming, they said, they will stage more protests in the near future.

In response, a forest police unit press statement said hunting activities are allowed only in Puyuma reservation areas. Police officers took action only after hearing gunshots in the Chihpen forest park, where hunting is prohibited, according to the statement. It also claimed that the police only persuaded the tribesmen to leave the region and did not target any specific individuals. Moreover, the statement denied that any body searches were carried out.

Reiterating that no guns are allowed in the forest recreation park, the statement said the police officers were carrying out their duties in accordance with the law.

To avoid future misunderstandings, the statement said, the forest police squad will strengthen communications with the tribesmen and exercise caution and prudence in maintaining law and order during important tribal festivals.
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