Premchai’s guns to undergo testing to check use in other hunting missions

By SURIYA PATATAYO 
THE NATION

 

 

POLICE WILL test whether rifles seized from the house of Italian-Thai Development president Premchai Karnasuta were used in any shooting or hunting, said Maj-General Thawatchai Mekprasertsuk, chief of the Office of Police Forensic Science.

 

His unit has asked for bullets of some rifles from Premchai’s house to compare them with those used to kill a wild elephant in Kuiburee National Park in Prachuab Khiri Khan province a few years back.

 

 

“Officials have kept the bullets that were used to kill wild animals. The result of the test is expected within three days,” Thawatchai said.

The move was part of the expansion of investigation into Premchai’s alleged poaching in Thung Yai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary in Kanchanaburi province early this month.

 

There has been a public outcry over Premchai’s alleged hunting expeditions in the sanctuary after an endangered black leopard was found butchered and forest rangers found a pot of soup with the leopard’s tail. The remains of a barking deer and pheasant were also found hidden near the campsite.

 

 

Many civil network and environment groups have called for ITD, a public-listed firm, to sack Premchai and for the police to conduct their probe with transparency amid fears that the billionaire could evade prosecution.

 

Meanwhile Court of Justice spokesman Suriyan Hongwilai clarified why Premchai, who was freed on bail, did not have to report himself to police this week as required by the law.

 

Instead, he will report at the Thong Pha Phum Court in March. Many were waiting to see Premchai, after he disappeared from public view since being given bail. The move has been criticised as an exemption given by authorities to a suspect who was a powerful businessman.

 

The spokesman dismissed the criticism, saying Thong Pha Phum Court is an exception partly because most of the suspects were not locals.

 

 

Therefore to require the suspect to show up seven times every 12 days will be a waste of time and a loss of income for them. “Any suspect is required to report for investigation only after the fourth 12-day period. This applies to every suspect. The rule was introduced in 2013,” he said.

 

Premchai and three other suspects in the case are required to appear in the court on March 26 at 9am.

 

Thawatchai said that the forensic investigation into the black leopard found that it was hit on the head and other parts of the body. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30339065

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-02-17

The bail conditions clearly defined for the rich, more forensic testing and the case drags on. 

If they dig deeper, they might even be able to pin the JFK assassination on him.

This fat cat really stepped in it, but now he is just a low life poacher, defiler of forests and collector of disgusting things. 

4 hours ago, yellowboat said:

This fat cat really stepped in it, but now he is just a low life poacher, defiler of forests and collector of disgusting things. 

A conviently timed "fall guy" (see the 'timelord' scandal) who will escape justice just with significantly less assets than before. Theres a great cartoon floating around about but would be canned if posted here..fact is they could pull any suitable criminal activity that is currently being 'ignored' to use as a cover for their own devices...rare native animals certainly draws on the heart strings, wonder whats the next step?

Edited February 17, 20188 yr by kaorop

Well used tactic of just lumping case upon case and charge upon charge until the whole thing is a whole tangled mess of cases, court appearances, postponements etc etc until it slowly drifts away.

13 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Meanwhile Court of Justice spokesman Suriyan Hongwilai clarified why Premchai, who was freed on bail, did not have to report himself to police this week as required by the law.

 

Instead, he will report at the Thong Pha Phum Court in March. Many were waiting to see Premchai, after he disappeared from public view since being given bail. The move has been criticised as an exemption given by authorities to a suspect who was a powerful businessman.

pathetic; premier example of lack of rule of law here

Yea, this is just getting ridiculous now. Where is all this heading?