Assistant chief takes stand in 'black panther' poaching case

By Suphot Kaewkasi 
The Nation

 

FILE photo

 

Thung Yai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary assistant chief Piyapong Seubsen took the stand on Thursday in the hearing against corporate chief Premchai Karnasuta and three associates in the “black panther” poaching case.

 

Italian-Thai Development president Premchai was not present as he had permission to do so while the other defendants Yong Dodkrua, Nathee Riamsaen, and Thanee Thummat were present. Premchai's lawyer Witoon Yimpray said Premchai was preoccupied with work and his health was not good, requiring him to regularly take medications.

 

Thung Yai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary chief Wichien Chinnawong told reporters that their supervisors have provided them encouragement including Department of National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation director-general Thanya Netithamkul who made a phone call to boost the sanctuary officials' morale to fight the case.

 

The witness hearing for those from the prosecutors' side opened on Tuesday.

 

National deputy police commissioner Pol General Srivara Ransibrahmanakul was the first to testify followed by Wichien, as the person who led officials to make the arrest.

 

Prior to his appearance on court on Wednesday, Wichien thanked the United Nations, USAID, Interpol, and the Freeland Foundation for recently honoring him with a special commendation at the UNEP Annual Environmental Enforcement Awards for his role in the “black panther” poaching case.

 

He said the recognition gave him encouragement and thanked everybody who saw the importance of conservation work.

 

"This award is regarded as the award bestowed to all Thung Yai people, not just me, because officials devote our lives to protect the Thung Yai Naresuan forest the best we can," Wichien said.

 

He added that he would continue to perform his duties with courage and determination.

 

In February 2018, Wichien and his team found Premchai and three associates in an unauthorised zone of the wildlife sanctuary.

 

Further checks found that there were weapons and animal carcasses, including a black panther, a Kalij pheasant, and a barking deer, near the group's camp.

 

The four defendants face six charges: carrying firearms in public without permission; hunting wildlife inside a sanctuary without permission; killing protected wildlife without permission; possessing a protected wild animal’s carcass without permission; hiding or receiving an illegally hunted wild animal’s carcass; and harvesting products from a protected forest without permission.

 

The hearing is scheduled for 10 sessions, with 32 witness testimonies from the prosecutors’ side from Tuesday until Friday, from December 6-7, December 11-13 and on December 18. These will be followed by 17 witness testimonies from the defendants’ side, who are scheduled to take the stand over six sessions from December 19-21 and from December 25-27.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30359514

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-11-29

Lots of court sessions and lots of witnesses, with hopefully lots of sets of ears and eyes recording all of it. It is going to be tough for Premchai to avoid jail on this one, as his and his associates guilt seems quite apparent. I dont think the Thai public will be too pleased to see another Hi-So walk away Scot free again, though of course in Thailand a fix always seems possible for those of his ilk.

He will get a jail sentence but it will be suspended so he will never have to spend a day behind bars.

Hi-sos don't do jail time; they appeal & re-appeal until: all the witnesses are dead or retract their testimony; all the evidence is 'lost'; or the black panther's family accept compensation.

16 hours ago, mikebell said:

Hi-sos don't do jail time; they appeal & re-appeal until: all the witnesses are dead or retract their testimony; all the evidence is 'lost'; or the black panther's family accept compensation.

And they say money can't buy happiness.............

17 hours ago, webfact said:

The hearing is scheduled for 10 sessions, with 32 witness testimonies from the prosecutors’ side from Tuesday until Friday, from December 6-7, December 11-13 and on December 18. These will be followed by 17 witness testimonies from the defendants’ side, who are scheduled to take the stand over six sessions from December 19-21 and from December 25-27.

A complete farce.

He was caught bang to rights so to speak.

Caught red handed.

There are zero arguments.

It's all just going through the motions.

And we all know how it will end............

The guy will not spend one night in a cell.

Regardless if he is sentenced to 2 years or 5 years in Nick.

Meanwhile, if you are a poor, bottom rung of the ladder peasant, 10 years plus for forest encroachment (picking wild mushrooms) is the norm.

Despicable.

Hopefully the stress, loss of face and loss of money will kill the fat pig.

18 hours ago, webfact said:

Premchai was preoccupied with work and his health was not good, requiring him to regularly take medications

1) A CEO like him has staff who can carry on his work. It's called delegation. Why can work wait when he goes killing helpless animals with a big gun but work can't wait while he goes to court (for killing those helpless animals) ?

2) Regarding "take medications". I think they have bottled water available at most courts.

1 hour ago, thaiguzzi said:

A complete farce.

He was caught bang to rights so to speak.

Caught red handed.

There are zero arguments.

It's all just going through the motions.

And we all know how it will end............

The guy will not spend one night in a cell.

Regardless if he is sentenced to 2 years or 5 years in Nick.

Meanwhile, if you are a poor, bottom rung of the ladder peasant, 10 years plus for forest encroachment (picking wild mushrooms) is the norm.

Despicable.

Well no he wasn't caught red handed.  He was caught with a group of people with carcasses.  He wasn't caught pulling the trigger so there are definitely still hearings needed.

 

It's pretty obvious he did it but it still needs to be proven.  And this could be how he gets away with it - "wasn't me guv, I was just enjoying the scenery, I was as shocked as anyone that someone shot the panther."

19 hours ago, webfact said:

Italian-Thai Development president Premchai was not present as he had permission to do so while the other defendants Yong Dodkrua, Nathee Riamsaen, and Thanee Thummat were present. Premchai's lawyer Witoon Yimpray said Premchai was preoccupied with work and his health was not good, requiring him to regularly take medications.

If convicted, this will probably read the same, but the topic will be 'attending prison."

"his health was not good, requiring him to regularly take medications"

I will be happy when his health is in the same state as the black panthers

5 hours ago, toolpush said:

And they say money can't buy happiness.............

look at that fat slovenly loser and tell me if you think he is happy though....no wonder he gets his jollies killing beautiful animals he must resent them all. 

With the money this guy has why didn't he just go to Africa to satisfy his hunting/killing safari fetish.

On 11/29/2018 at 3:34 AM, mikebell said:

Hi-sos don't do jail time; they appeal & re-appeal until: all the witnesses are dead or retract their testimony; all the evidence is 'lost'; or the black panther's family accept compensation.

So when we see a black panther driving by in a Mercedes, wearing a high end watch we'll know this case is over?

Premchai Karnasuta to Judge:  "But Kuhn Brother in Law, I wasn't poaching the Panthers, I was hunting them like our great great Grandfathers did"  Oh, that explains everything, 10,000 baht fine for hunting in a Federal Reserve.