By Goongnang Suksawat

 

Rawai – A French man has been arrested in Rawai for illegal possession of parts of whale skeletons.

The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DEMCR) officials told the Phuket Express that they received a tip-off from a person who asked not to be named that a foreigner in Rawai has allegedly illegal possession of whale skeletons.

 

Officials have continued their investigation in which they have finally arrested Mr. Alain, 52, French national, in Rawai yesterday (November 21st).

 

Full story: https://thephuketexpress.com/2022/11/22/frenchman-arrested-in-rawai-for-illegal-possession-of-whale-skeletons/

 

-- © Copyright The Phuket Express 2022-11-23

 

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Meanwhile at a bungalow somewhere in Thailand...

 

Another day in Amazing Thailand ????????

My thoughts on this issue depend on whether Mr Alain went out and harpooned himself a whale, or did he just find it washed up?

The mind boggles. How are arresting decisions made or calibrated by this country's authorities? On the one hand, this man is arrested for collecting skeletons of a dead animal. On the other hand, another man is not arrested for brutally beating his girlfriend. 

12 minutes ago, Thomas KH said:

The mind boggles. How are arresting decisions made or calibrated by this country's authorities? On the one hand, this man is arrested for collecting skeletons of a dead animal. On the other hand, another man is not arrested for brutally beating his girlfriend. 

Yes, it is a conundrum...

14 minutes ago, Thomas KH said:

How are arresting decisions made or calibrated by this country's authorities?

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. Probably thought he would agree to the 'no action' alternative

Mr. Alain is a high potential perp.

4 hours ago, webfact said:

illegal possession of whale skeletons.

Did not even know that this is illegal ... ( for foreigners ? )

Headline

Frenchman arrested in Rawai for illegal possession of whale skeletons.

4 hours ago, webfact said:

A French man has been arrested in Rawai for illegal possession of parts of whale skeletons.

Bit of a difference between Skeletons ( plural ), and the possibility of a couple of fragments of a Jaw bone.

Nice picture of the group of do gooders posing in-between massive elephant tusks. 

 

 

 

He'll be having a whale of a time in the courts!

 

I know, I know that was quite pathetic ! ... but its 'hump-day' after all and I'm a bit jaded;.

37 minutes ago, MrJ2U said:

Nice picture of the group of do gooders posing in-between massive elephant tusks. 

 

 

 

Those are mandibles (jaw bones) of a Baleen Whale  and were part of the seizure.

 

 

 

In case you are wondering about the size of these bones, below is a picture of a Baleen Whale skeleton, clearly showing these bones.

 

 

1 hour ago, Thomas KH said:

The mind boggles.

Adapting to life in Thailand ... you're doing it wrong.

Well, which Somchai sold the stuff to the French gentleman in the first place and what is the ink between the "whale skeleton" and the "elephant tusks" in the OP picture? 

9 minutes ago, Sydebolle said:

Well, which Somchai sold the stuff to the French gentleman in the first place and what is the ink between the "whale skeleton" and the "elephant tusks" in the OP picture? 

Well, which Somchai sold the stuff to the French gentleman in the first place

Where does it say that he bought them?

Rawai has beaches, I presume that he could have found them washed up.

I used to see whale bones washed up on beaches all the time when I was in the South Atlantic.

 

and what is the ink between the "whale skeleton" and the "elephant tusks" in the OP picture? 

Ther4e are no elephant tusks in the picture, please see my post 'just' 2 posts above your post.

 

 

This is a bit like the case a few years back of a tourist being arrested for collecting shells and bits of dry coral on the beach.

I did a quick scan of the wildlife act mentioned. It has a very broad definition of "wildlife carcass" and what is allowed if you find a bone or two of a native animal and decide to take them home. 

It seems to be more about the size of the wildlife bones, publicity seeking authorities and a nasty neighbor wanting to get a falang in trouble.

As the bones were cemented in as an arch in front of his home, I would suggest there was no trafficking of wildlife involved.

Whale oil beef hooked!

The bones were sold to the Frenchman by a Thai fisherman in Kamala.

Ddint read about arrests when they find 9 tigre cubs dead in a temple, some years ago.

Also you cant have bones of a whale.

Still whales are killed by, for instance, Japan

2 hours ago, Boomer6969 said:

Mr. Alain is a high potential perp.

So he has a HPP Visa then....

6 hours ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

Meanwhile at a bungalow somewhere in Thailand...

 

Last nights BBQ?

11 minutes ago, Bert got kinky said:

Well, which Somchai sold the stuff to the French gentleman in the first place

Where does it say that he bought them?

Rawai has beaches, I presume that he could have found them washed up.

I used to see whale bones washed up on beaches all the time when I was in the South Atlantic.

 

and what is the ink between the "whale skeleton" and the "elephant tusks" in the OP picture? 

Ther4e are no elephant tusks in the picture, please see my post 'just' 2 posts above your post.

 

 

Well, what do I know. Whales are seen in abundance, 24/7, at Rawai; they all fled the South Atlantic, where they usually roam. Pardon my French (pun intended) but to the layman's eye the OP picture published in Thailand can lead to the assumption, that it features tusks rather than boney left overs of whales plying their trade in South Atlantic seas ???? 

It could be that I only see such news on this forum that my bias is influenced... 

 

However, it would appear that the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources react with an elevated degree of prejudice when a Westerner is involved.... 

 

...  be it a Wester caught taking a jar of sand from a national park beach or fishing parrot fish - these Marine and Coastal resources react in a manner one could consider outrageously exaggerated. 

 

Will they simply charge the Frenchman, or will they investigate to find the source ?

Was the property rented ? and are the bones even his ? (or belonged to the rental property). 

 

 

The house can’t be owned by the Frenchman... so how can he be the ‘owner’ of the bones cemented / fixed to the ground at the entrance of the home ?  (although the report stats he admitted to owning the bones). 

3 hours ago, Bert got kinky said:

Those are mandibles (jaw bones) of a Baleen Whale  and were part of the seizure.

 

 

 

In case you are wondering about the size of these bones, below is a picture of a Baleen Whale skeleton, clearly showing these bones.

 

 

You are correct sir.

 

 

10 hours ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

Meanwhile at a bungalow somewhere in Thailand...

 

Oh no! Last nights dinner........