The legislature yesterday approved an amendment to the Wildlife Protection Act (野生動物保育法) to provide marine mammals better protection — making Taiwan the first country in Asia to prohibit the sale of marine mammals and related products.
According to the approved amendment, marine mammals and products made from marine mammals are prohibited from being imported to or exported from the country, unless permission is obtained from the Council of Agriculture.
Individuals who violate the regulation could be fined between NT$10,000 and NT$50,000.
The amendment would affect the sale of harp seal oil and other harp seal products, which have been widely advertised on TV and in shops as “health food.”
An exemption was made for Aboriginal people, who are allowed to hunt marine mammals in traditional Aboriginal territory to supply for their needs, after obtaining permission from the council.
Under the amendment, the council is entitled to draw up management bylaws to clamp down on sales of banned products on the Internet.
The Environment & Animal Society of Taiwan hailed the passage of the amendment, saying that the move would help save harp seals, whose numbers have dwindled amid global warming.
Also approved by the legislature was an amendment to the Act Governing the Examination of Special Professions and Techniques (專門職業及技術人員考試法).
The amendment stipulated that any form of cheating in exams — sitting an exam under a false name, or registering for an exam using fake identification — would result in a five-year ban from any tests hosted by the Examination Yuan.
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
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INDUSTRY: Beijing’s latest export measures go beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related tech, an academic said Taiwanese industries could face significant disruption from China’s newly tightened export controls on rare earth elements, as much of Taiwan’s supply indirectly depends on Chinese materials processed in Japan, a local expert said yesterday. Kristy Hsu (徐遵慈), director of the Taiwan ASEAN Studies Center at the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research, said that China’s latest export measures go far beyond targeting the US and would likely affect any country that uses Chinese rare earths or related technologies. With Japan and Southeast Asian countries among those expected to be hit, Taiwan could feel the impact through its reliance on Japanese-made semi-finished products and
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