Chiang Mai court convicts dog killer: A justice victory for popular campus pet

[webfact]

In Chiang Mai, a man who killed a beloved dog has been sentenced to six months in prison for animal cruelty.

 

The dog was known as Thia Mor Chor, a short-legged, popular fellow amongst students. Watchdog Thailand, an animal rights organisation, announced the verdict yesterday, signalling justice for Thia, whose name means shorty.

 

The late Thia was an adored fixture within the Chiang Mai University community. His friendly disposition and short stature endeared him to students and faculty alike, so much so that he became a local celebrity of sorts.

 

His popularity skyrocketed after photos of him joining students in a procession up Doi Suthep, a local mountain, went viral on social media platforms. But tragedy struck in May 2020 when Thia inexplicably disappeared.

 

by Nattapong Westwood 

Picture courtesy of KhaoSod

 

Full story: https://thethaiger.com/news/chiang-mai/chiang-mai-court-convicts-dog-killer-a-justice-victory-for-popular-campus-pet

 

-- © Copyright Thaiger 2023-07-25

 

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[OneZero]

Tia's grave on CMU campus.  Tia running with the students near Wat Doi Suthep.  He was greatly loved by all the students, and they were heartbroken over the incident.  An angry student rumor is that a well-placed untouchable (& therefore unpunished) professor was behind the hiring of the young, enlisted cop to do a hit job on Tia (motive - speculation).  

Thia Mor Chor pronounced Tia Maw Chaw is simply Tia MC (Tia Maha Witialai Chiang Mai, Tia Chiang Mai University). His legs were short, thus the name Tia (short).  

He was simply lovingly referred to as "Tia".

[OneZero]

[heybruce]

No mention of how or why the dog was killed.  If it was accidentally run over and hidden because the driver realized he'd killed a popular animal the punishment was too severe.  If it was intentionally killed out of psychotic cruelty the punishment was not severe enough.

[OneZero]

2 hours ago, heybruce said:

No mention of how or why the dog was killed.  If it was accidentally run over and hidden because the driver realized he'd killed a popular animal the punishment was too severe.  If it was intentionally killed out of psychotic cruelty the punishment was not severe enough.

Tia was intentionally killed.  The culprit admitted it & supposedly claimed he was asked (hired?) by a CMU prof to do it.   Students really upset, animal rights group and citizens gathering at police station near campus.

[OneZero]

There was an extensive search for Tia until his body was found.  I think it was disposed of in a ditch on a road not far from campus.  If I remember correctly of the CMU forensic analysis of Tia's body, it showed that his body was cruelly treated /tortured, to include being shot, prior to his death. 

[OneZero]

เตี้ย มช. เปิดหลักฐานสำคัญปิดคดีปริศนา ยกระดับกฎหมายทารุณหมาจร (thairath.co.th)

This article says that the culprit did not confess (if true, I stand corrected), but that evidence showed that he did it.

[OneZero]

Cop suspended over death of CMU mascot dog (bangkokpost.com)

Cop suspended over death of CMU mascot dog

PUBLISHED : 3 JUN 2020 AT 18:06

WRITER: POST REPORTERS

•  

Tia Morchor, a beloved mascot dog of Chiang Mai University, is seen on campus. (Photo from Tia Morchor Facebook account)

A police officer has been suspended as an investigation continues into the mysterious death of Tia Morchor, a famous dog beloved of Chiang Mai University (CMU) students and alumni.

Watchdog Thailand posted a Facebook message saying the Royal Thai Police Office had suspended an officer and launched a disciplinary investigation. The message attributed the information to Pol Lt Gen Kittarath Punphet, a senior officer who reports to national police commander Pol Gen Chakthip Chaijinda.

The advocacy group praised the decision as a milestone in an attempt to unveil the killers of Tia Morchor. The group indicated there could be more than one person involved in the case as the sacked officer was called “the first suspect”.

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No details of the suspect were released but Thairath reported earlier he was a 27-year-old police corporal in the Border Patrol Police unit based in San Sai district of Chiang Mai province.

He was charged with theft, torturing animals and disposing of the carcass of an animal, according to Thairath.

Thai PBS reported on Wednesday the suspect claimed he took the dog for a pleasure drive but it was run over by a vehicle.

Watchdog Thailand said on Wednesday another suspect could face an arrest warrant from Bhubing Rajanives police station in Chiang Mai, the station that has jurisdiction in the case.

Tia Morchor leads new students on a traditional walk from the campus to the top of Doi Suthep. (Photo from Tia Morchor Facebook account)

The dog went missing from the campus on May 4 and its body was found in roadside jungle behind Rajamangala University of Technology Lanna on May 7. Footage from CCTVs both inside and outside the CMU campus showed the dog being driven on a motorcycle on the night of May 4.

Tia Morchor is a darling of CMU students, past and present, along with staff members. One of its well-known trademark activities was to lead new students on a long walk up the Doi Suthep mountain to pay respects to the temple. The dog's age was believed to be eight or nine.

The friendly dog was first spotted on the campus in 2014, and was seen there constantly until its recent disappearance. Tia Morchor was believed to stay at a house near the university at first, but was then given an official home at the Science Faculty. It roamed everywhere and was beloved by everybody. The dog was so popular that it has its own Facebook page, tiadogcmu, and Twitter account, @tiadogcmu. The canine inspired CMU to launch a project to manage and take care of all dogs around the sprawling campus.

The cause of Tia Morchor's death has yet to be conclusively determined. A preliminary autopsy conducted  by the university's Animal Hospital found that it was hit by a large vehicle, suggesting that it was an accident. But another detailed probe showed the dog might have been killed deliberately.

Flowers are laid at the place where the dog was buried on the Chiang Mai University campus. (Photo from Tia Morchor Facebook account)

Animal rights activists later sought help from the Royal Thai Police Office in Bangkok, urging transparency in a case they believed was connected to at least one police officer.

Fans of Tia Morchor flooded Watchdog Thailand's Facebook page with comments after it posted the news of the police officer's suspension. They demanded legal action against anyone responsible for the death, and posted fond remembrances.

“We won’t see Tia on the next trip up Doi Suthep,” bibi wrote in a message on the dog’s Twitter account.

“Love and miss Tia forever,” a person named Wassana Cleary wrote on its Facebook account.

 

[herfiehandbag]

Well loved, and loved everyone.

[Nickcage49]

How sad. They should give him life the #%^$&

[Skeptic7]

Same as the murder of a human animal, the person taking the contract out on the target/victim should be held responsible too. If it's found out that this "professor" was a coconspirator and hired the hitman, s/he should be sacked and serve the same jail time. Hopefully some dog loving inmates in the joint to administer some additional "education" to these eff-ing murderers. 

[tmd5855]

Wife and I do rescue, mostly dogs that are given to us.  One time a max of 11 now 9 at present since many of the dogs are released to us from vets to free up space, owners many times have never paid the bills, so we collect them and bring them home.  Many are not long for this world.  From a blind brain damaged and crippled survivor of a car accident to a 13 year old Sable from the Thai army only used for breeding.  Dogs do become family members on a deeply loved basis.  

Have known of instances back in the UK where a culprit responsible for the death of a family pet that did nothing wrong suffers a loss, Karma at its best. 

The average person does not like cruelty and If we can make an animals last days free of anxiety and pain then we will do.

[Grusa]

This is a very distressing story.

 

Is it not strange that nothing about it's reporting, or consequences, chimes with the standards of investigation, reporting, or application of justice applied to human victims?

[herfiehandbag]

It's rather a sad reflection on a couple of things: the state of the University whereby an " influential professor" can do such a thing, and go unpunished; and the state of the police force whereby a police officer is prepared to be hired to do such a thing.

[connda]

Chiang Mai court convicts dog killer: A justice victory for popular campus pet

6 months?  Good. 

[0james0]

On 7/26/2023 at 8:35 AM, Nickcage49 said:

How sad. They should give him life the #%^$&

A bit over the top.