Yunlin County Assembly Head Found Guilty of Battery of Robin Winkler during Formosa Plastics Steel Plant Meeting

The unique population of Taiwan Humpback Dolphins is threatened by the Hushan Dam Project. The Hushan Dam will reduce the flow of fresh water into the dolphins' estuarine habitat. This will result in further degradation of what little habitat remains for these IUCN-listed critically endangered dolphins. The Hushan Dam will also supply water to heavy industry development within the dolphins habitat.

In November 2007 Yunlin County Assembly Head, Su Chin-Huang, an outspoken pro-development advocate, allegedly assaulted former Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) EIA Committee commissioner and Wild at Heart Legal Defense Association* director, Robin Winkler, at a meeting at the EPA offices. The poor handling of the incident by the EPA sparked fear among environmentalists that the authorities were looking the other way when blatant intimidation of environmentalists was occurring.

Thankfully, on 9 October 2008 the Taipei District Court found Yunlin County Assembly Head, Su Chin-Huang, guilty of battery against Robin Winkler. See Yunlin County Assembly Head Found Guilty of Battery of Robin Winkler during Formosa Plastics Steel Plant Meeting on the Taiwan Humpback Dolphin Blog.

Dec 2008 Update

*Wild at Heart Legal Defense Association is the secretariat for the Matsu’s Fish Conservation Union and the Taiwan National Coalition Against the Hushan Dam.