Support for smangus:Rogelio Rodriguez's letter

To whom it may concern:

I find it a true atrocity that innocent people are being incarcerated for a crime that does not exist in my eyes. The Tayal people in Smangus are being found guilty with out all the facts being looked at. The fact that the Taiwanese Government is taking such harsh actions over the removal of a tree that was actually taken down by the typhoon that hit he island is mockery of the laws that are in place.

The Smangus people have a long history in the island and have always relied on the resources that the land offers them. The Smangus people are full of traditions and beliefs that make up the history of Taiwan. The Smangus actually have the right to use the resources of the forest for their traditional practices; these rights are allowed under Section 4, Article 15 of the Forestry Act. I plead the Taiwanese Government to enforce the laws that are in place. The Smangus should be protected from being pursued by the local government over rights that they have.

I seriously hope that these letters of support will not fall on deaf ears. Please take the time to look into this situation and look into the laws that were created. The Smangus are a part of Taiwan and this makes me feel that they are being treated unfairly. If the Taiwanese Government treats its own people in this way, I can only imagine how bad a tourist my have it. These actions most then likely have already changed tourist decisions to visit such a great place like Taiwan. I hope that this issue will have a positive outcome for the Smangus and the people of Taiwan as a whole.

Thank you for your time

Rogelio Rodriguez