The Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau (IACM) is drafting a bill to – finally – criminalise animal abuse, according to a statement that was released online by the Abandoned Animals Protection Association of Macau (AAPAM) Tuesday.
The statement said several AAPAM members had a meeting with IACM officials – including President Vong Iao Lek and Administration Committee member Ung Sau Hong – in which they were told that the bureau planned to criminalise animal abuse under its bill on animal protection, with the maximum penalty of a three-year prison sentence, while the fines would range from 2,000 to 100,000 patacas.
The statement also said the bill would also have regulations about keeping dogs on construction sites and in scrap yards.
According to the statement, the bill would also give the bureau the right to take animals away from owners who neglect or provide unsatisfactory living conditions for the animals until improvements are made.
The AAPAM members also asked the bureau when it will submit the bill to the legislature for debate and vote. The statement said that Ung replied that officials hoped it would be done in about a month.
Before the bill reaches the Legislative Assembly, it will have to be submitted for discussion to the government’s top advisory Executive Council.
The statement said the IACM decision meant progress in the group’s seven-year fight for legislation on the prevention of animal abuse, adding that it will stage a demonstration on Sunday to pressure the government over the matter.(macaunews/macaupost)
