The Kaohsiung District Court yesterday found three marines guilty of torturing a dog to death, a violation of the Animal Protection Act (動物保護法), and handed the three men six-month prison terms, which are commutable to fines.
It was the first ruling in the case and can be appealed.
The incident in June last year involved squad leader Sergeant Chen Yu-tsai (陳祐才) and two privates under his command — Chang Feng-yu (張峰瑜) and Hu Chia-wei (胡家瑋) — of the Marine Corps’ Air Defense Group, which is based at Zuoying Naval Base in Kaohsiung.
Photo: CNA
As Chang and Hu admitted to wrongdoing and cooperated during the investigation, the court suspended their sentences and placed them on probation for two years.
In addition to the jail sentences, the court also imposed fines of NT$150,000 on Chen, NT$130,000 for Chang and NT$225,000 for Hu.
The three men’s terms can be commuted to additional fines, at a rate of NT$1,000 per day.
Photo: screen grab from Facebook
An investigation found that there were a number of stray dogs living near the unit’s barracks that were being fed by the soldiers.
Prosecutors said that on June 24 last year, Chen saw one of the dogs, nicknamed “Little White” (小白), wandering in the unit’s exercise yard and reportedly told Chang: “Make Little White disappear, I do not want to see him anymore.”
They added that when Chang asked if that meant killing the dog, Chen told him: “Do what you like, I do not care.”
Chang and Hu then leashed Little White and took him to an embankment near the shore, where they beat the dog with a wooden club and hung him by the leash, prosecutors said.
Chang filmed the incident on his smartphone and circulated the video on social media platform Line among his friends.
One man who was reportedly disgusted by the torture and killing of the animal reported it to local authorities.
News of the incident sparked a public furor.
“Chen was commander of the unit, and his instructions to soldiers to beat the dog to death showed a lack of comprehension about animal protection,” the court said.
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park this weekend, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a theme food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances. Pokemon Go Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as photo attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs. Pokemon trainers could also experience the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area. Three PokeStops are to be set up in the park. Trainers are invited to take
RSS