Regarding the media report of the alleged dog abuse incident at the Oil Storage Facility of the Second Region Support Command, the Hua-Tung Defense Command expressed today (3rd) that, after receiving the report, the military unit had complied with the instructions of the ROC Army Command Headquarters, and abided by the principles of “Administration by Law” and “Neither Wronging the Innocents nor Acquitting the Guilty” to cooperate with the Command HQ Task Force to launch an investigation. Currently, two retired, former First Class Privates, surnamed Su and Fang, were accused of violating Article 6 and Article 25 of the Animal Protection Act, “Deliberate Abuse or Injury of Animal Leading to Death”, and transferred to the Taitung Military Police Corps for investigation. In addition, the military unit will review the negligence of the administrative personnel, and issue administrative punishments pursuant to the regulations depending on the investigation results and severity of the crime.

The Hua-Tung Defense Command indicated that, the military unit had conducted a regulation advocacy course named “Respect Life and Protect the Animals” in July 2016, in which animal protection experts were invited to conduct 16 sessions. The two former privates, Su and Fang attended the course in July and August respectively, which can be proven by the attendance records.

The Hua-Tung Defense Command expressed that, according to investigations, the video footage disclosed by the media was dated on September 1st. The date that the canine was found suffering, and sent to hospital where it died, was September 19th. Regarding the relevance between the animal abuse and the death of the canine, the military unit will respect the investigation results of the law enforcement departments. However, the military unit also expressed its deepest regret that the media accusation that the soldiers had fed the canine an “unknown white powder” is pure speculation. Furthermore, the aforementioned video footage is now transferred to the judicial departments for investigation.

The Hua-Tung Defense Command stressed that, as the case is now in the judicial proceedings and case details are still subject to further investigation, the Hua-Tung Defense Command urges the public to refrain from jumping to conclusions. If any violations are found, strict punishments will be meted out to ensure law and order. In addition, the military unit will continue to invite animal protection instructors to conduct education seminars for the military units to strengthen the concepts of respecting life and protecting the animals.