(HK) Four jailed for killing dogs for consumption

[Guest guest]

Two blogs in HK (EastSouthWestNorth & Letters from China) wrote about a case of

dogs slaughtered for human consumption in the New Territories in Hong Kong on

November 12.

 

The police arrived and caught the criminals in the act.

 

The four were each sentenced to 30 days in jail.

 

Historically, the slaughter of dogs/cats for consumption has incurred a fine in

HK but this is the first time jail sentences have been imposed.

 

Roland Soong (ESWN) has translated excerpts from the story published in the

Apple Daily (a Taiwanese paper) and some quotations from the court case.

....................

From ESWN:

 

[086] Cats And Dogs (12/23/2006) A Hong Kong story made it into the front page

of Apple Daily but you may not have seen it in English.

 

(Apple Daily) A bit of history:

Sir Chow Shouson was the founder of the East Asia Bank and the first Chinese

member of the Executive Council. He studied in the United States during the Qing

dynasty.

 

When he returned to Hong Kong, he set about abolishing some of the old

uncivilized (in the western view) Chinese customs. Chief among this is a ban on

eating dog meat.

 

In 1950, rabies was rampant. Hong Kong enacted the " Regulations on Cats and

Dogs " wherein the slaughter of a dog or cat can result in 6 months in jail

and/or a fine of HK$5,000. (see Letters from China) Historically, fines have

been imposed but no one was ever sent to jail until now.

 

(Apple Daily) On November 12, in a New Territories villa, four men slaughtered

two dogs for consumption purposes. The police received a complaint and went to

the scene. Here is what they found.

 

The first defendant was boiling a big pot of water; the second defendant was

using a chopper to cut up the dogs and using a blowtorch to get rid of the fur;

the third defendant was mopping the blood from the floor; the fourth defendant

was cleaning the place. On the floor was a beheaded dog. Other physical evidence

included a nylon bag, iron wires, chopping knife and pot.

 

(Apple Daily) Here are some choice quotations from the court proceedings which

ended with a sentence of 30 days in jail for each defendant.

 

Lawyer:

" It is cruel to kill, but that is only a charge and not a factor in the

sentence. "

" In all previous cases, there were only fines and a jail sentence has never been

imposed. "

" The third defendant hurt his leg and the fourth defendant has tubercolosis, so

that are unfit for serving community service. Therefore, their sentences should

be suspended. "

 

Judge:

" Do you mean that a case of deliberate injury should get a heavier sentence than

murder? "

" Times have changed and the precedents are not appopriate. In order to

communicate the fact that society does not tolerge the slaughter of dogs, there

has to be a first case of a jail sentence. "

" The defendant fell down and hurt his leg while attempting to flee from the

police. Thus, it was his own fault. Health status is not a reason to reduce the

sentence. "

 

(Apple Daily) When South Korea was a co-host of the 1998 Olympics, it imposed a

ban on eating dogs. After the Olympics, the ban was rescinded. There are more

than 4,000 licensed dog meat restaurants there.

 

Comment [from Roland Soong]: Another excuse is that a Hong Kong resident can

easily go to eat dog meat in Shenzhen. But that cannot be used as the reason

why the " Regulations on Cats and Dogs " should be abandoned in Hong Kong. This

is about any absolute sense of morals and ethics, as opposed to a race to the

bottom.

 

http://www.zonaeuropa.com/200612.brief.htm#091

---------------------------

Letters from China

December 23, 2006

 

Jailed For Eating Dogs

Most Unheard-Of

 

Four men were sentenced to 30 days imprisonment for slaughtering of dogs for

food by a Hong Kong court.

 

Counsel for defendants in mitigation said that it was a question of food culture

and the case did not involve torture. The learned magistrate was unimpressed -

" then assault is even more serious than murder? "

 

Imprisonment for the offence is unprecedented. The usual sentence has been (a)

fine.

 

Dogs and Cats Regulations (Chapter 167A), the Laws of Hong Kong

Regulation 22(1):-

No person shall slaughter any dog or cat for use as food whether for mankind or

otherwise.

 

Regulation 23:-

Any person who contravenes regulation 22(1) or (2) shall be liable to a fine of

$5000 and to imprisonment for 6 months.

 

UPDATE 1:

ESWN translated a very brief history of the eating-dog law.

 

UPDATE 2:

Ah, Hong Kong actors are so civilised. Lam Fung said he could see no difference

between dog meat and human flesh - and congratulations on hitting the front page

of the Entertainment Section of Apple Daily. Other " stars " concurred that 30

days imprisonment was too lenient.

 

http://voyage.typepad.com/china/2006/12/jailed_for_eati.html