Animal rights advocates yesterday staged a silent protest in Hsinchu County’s Sinpu Township (新埔) against what they called the inhumane treatment of “divine pigs,” usually the center-stage attraction for the Yimin Festival (義民祭).
The protest was launched after a petition by the Environment and Animal Society of Taiwan failed to convince the Hsinchu County Government to ban the competition, in which pigs are fattened and skinned for the ritual.
“Our protest is not targeting specific ethnic groups or temples, but the competition itself,” group deputy executive director Chen Yu-min (陳玉敏) said.
Photo: Huang Mei-chu, Taipei Times
The Yimin Festival, a major Hakka cultural event, has been tarnished by the divine pig competition, which has been continued by multiple temples on the grounds that it is an “integral part of Hakka culture,” the group said, adding that a 2016 Ministry of Culture report found that the competition does not contribute to the festival being an important part of Hakka culture and heritage.
Since as early as 2011, prominent Hakka people — including musician Lin Sheng-xiang (林生祥), writer Chung Chao-cheng (鍾肇政) and professor Lee Mao-sheng (李茂生) — have all said that equating the divine pig competition with Hakka culture is “a great affront to the Hakka people.”
Over the past 17 years, the group has called for one particular temple in Sinpu to stop rewarding behavior that abuses animals.
Of the 1,600 temples that used to hold divine pig competitions, only 11 — including the one in Sinpu — have insisted on continuing the tradition, the organization said.
Appeals have been made to the Hakka Affairs Council, the Council of Agriculture and other animal rights-related groups to stop or cancel the divine pig competition altogether, it said.
Religion and local beliefs should not be a shield for animal abuse, it added.
The competition has become for-profit, as people are hiring professionals to fatten their pigs and the professionals have adopted abusive methods to force-feed the pigs, such as tube-feeding, the group said.
Owner and buyers — fixated on the prize money — are completely oblivious to the emotional stress and physical discomfort of the pigs, many of which have difficulty standing or walking due to their obesity, it said.
The very action seeking to honor yiminye (義民爺), the deified figure representing Qing Dynasty militias that died in service of the empire, is disgracing them, it added.
The temples have said that the competitions are launched by the faithful “of their own accord.”
FUKUOKA SITUATION: Japanese media reported that the pathogen is expected to be identified by the summer, while the CDC downplayed the idea that it was hMPV A “mysterious cold-like illness” reported in Japan’s Fukuoka Prefecture does not seem to be a new disease, but Japanese authorities have been asked about the situation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The Fukuoka Prefectural Medical Association on Wednesday told a news conference that a “mystery cold” that has become a hot topic on social media is “highly likely to be caused by some kind of viral infection,” Japan’s KBC News reported. “Many people are experiencing symptoms starting with a sore throat, followed by a runny nose, phlegm and a severe cough,” KBC News reported, citing association officials. Health authorities are
Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) arrived in Taiwan yesterday ahead of upcoming AI and technology events, saying he plans to meet with clients and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) during his visit. After landing at Taipei Songshan Airport, Huang posed for photos with fans and handed out Yakult drinks to reporters and supporters waiting at the scene, saying he has “a lot to do” during the trip. Asked about reports that Nvidia’s planned headquarters site in Taipei’s Beitou Shilin Technology Park could break ground on May 27, Huang said that if the company holds an event, he would
The Ministry of Finance this afternoon announced the winning numbers for the March-April uniform invoice lottery. The winning number for the NT$10 million (US$318,060) special prize is 19531471, and the winning number for the NT$2 million grand prize is 85941329. Three numbers were drawn for the NT$200,000 first prize: 07225810, 20231230 and 83518781. Those with receipts matching the last seven digits of any of the first-prize numbers will win the NT$40,000 second prize, while those matching the last six digits will win the NT$10,000 third prize. Those whose receipts match the last five digits of the first-prize numbers can claim the NT$4,000 fourth prize,
SIX SUBSIDIES: The monthly allowance for older farmers is to increase to NT$10,000, and NT$5,000 is to be given to homemakers under the national pension system, Lai said The government is to implement major welfare policies for disadvantaged groups, including raising the monthly allowance for older farmers to NT$10,000 and providing homemakers with NT$5,000 per month, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks during a visit to Wangling Temple in Chiayi County, saying that the planned increases were being introduced amid economic growth and an increase in tax revenue. Touting a policy, in which the government plans to provide a monthly allowance of NT$5,000 for every child under the age of 18 in a bid to address Taiwan’s low birthrate, Lai said that if received for the
RSS