Thai Police Arrest 3 People For Illegally Possessing Elephant Meat And Ivory

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CRIME

Three arrested for illegally possessing elephant meat and ivory

THE NATION

PHETCHABURI: -- Three people have been arrested for purchasing elephant meat and ivory from poachers who allegedly hunted the pachyderms in Phetchaburi province's Kaeng Krachan national park.

Police arrested Manoon Ruengworraset, his son Withoon, and Panya Samranphis for possessing carcasses of protected animals without permission, after a raid at their homes turned up several organs of elephants, including penises, and ivory.

While in police custody, the three suspects implicated Lookkaew Uppatham and Jan Kuafoo for allegedly killing a number of elephants and butchering them for meat and ivory. Police are also on the hunt for Somphorn Jorkai, who has been implicated in poaching.

The three men have denied their charges and are in custody of Kaeng Krachan police pending prosecution.

Meanwhile, authorities have taken two young elephants found in Phuket into custody. The calves' parents are believed to be among the 19 elephants kept at a tourist attraction in Kanchanaburi, veterinarian Amarin Kalprawit said, adding that it is possible the animals have not been registered as domesticated elephants.

Police and the provincial veterinarian office in Kanchanaburi found that the 19 elephants living at the Pang Chang Sai Yok Elephant Park looked different from the photographs submitted for identification.

The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation has filed a complaint with Sai Yok police to check documents and take action if any are found to have been forged.

-- The Nation 2012-02-23

[geriatrickid]

A serious theft of a national asset and a serious violation of all that is decent.

It would be wonderful if these greedy culprits were made an example of.

[noitom]

These folks should be formally charged and detained without bail. They have conspired to desecrate the national symbol repeatedly and for financial gain. Their crimes are worthy of treason charges. They are traitors who betrayed the nation by criminally murdering, imprisoning, trafficking in, and abusing numerous elephants a most respected element of Thai society. Their crimes are on the level of major drug dealing. Once they rat out co conspirators and Mr. bigs, death to elephant poachers and traffickers. Dust off the old machine gun.

[sparebox2]

That piece of meat must be quite big. Ooch.

[soylentgreen]

These folks should be formally charged and detained without bail. They have conspired to desecrate the national symbol repeatedly and for financial gain. Their crimes are worthy of treason charges. They are traitors who betrayed the nation by criminally murdering, imprisoning, trafficking in, and abusing numerous elephants a most respected element of Thai society. Their crimes are on the level of major drug dealing. Once they rat out co conspirators and Mr. bigs, death to elephant poachers and traffickers. Dust off the old machine gun.

I agree. It is quite clear from the photograph that these elephant murdering monsters are Thai Chinese who have no respect for our great and benevolent elephants, and only care about their profit margins. Unfortunately this type of behaviour is only too prevalent in Chinese communities around the world.

[Naam]

I agree. It is quite clear from the photograph that these elephant murdering monsters are Thai Chinese who have no respect for our great and benevolent elephants, and only care about their profit margins. Unfortunately this type of behaviour is only too prevalent in Chinese communities around the world.

you still resent that this thai-chinese girlfriend cheated on you and then left?

[Tanaka]

A serious theft of a national asset and a serious violation of all that is decent.

It would be wonderful if these greedy culprits were made an example of.

In our dreams in a good world.

[Soupdragon]

The suspects were apprehended during a sting operation when undercover police sold them a 20ft fridge.

[MILT]

Again nothing suggesting that wild elephants are being killed for the tourist sector (elephant camps) What is ironic is that after all the major elephant parks up in the north were raided not one had broken the law. The one NGO I think it is called Elephant Nature Park not only had 4 elephants removed including one calf but actually tried hiding the baby elephant. No license for the 4 elephants including the elephant calf. It just makes me laugh when there is so much undocumented viral negative propaganda towards elephant camps and the one shining glorified elephant camp was found to be breaking the law. Most if not all NGO's have little to no checks and balances, Maybe it's time that they should.

[AlexDM]

Sadly, this is my father and brothers in-law; my wife's family. My wife and I are in the states at the moment, so we're only getting bits and pieces of what's going on. Our entire family is distraught.

For me, personally, the hardest part of this ordeal is how the media distorts facts. Not just with this case, but with everything. Yeah, I know, "well, duh!", you say. Well, I'm ruminating about it - now that it's people I know under the internets gaze.

I've been reading Thaivisa for a number of years now, and mostly agreeing with angry sentiment when seemingly soulless, "monsters" from [insert un-pure-less-than-real-Thai-ethnic-background here] perpetrate heinous acts. Yes! Exterminate these vermin! I mean, they're obviously guilty. Look at them sitting in the police station, arrested and charged with serious crime. Seems clear to me. Make an example of these monsters. Take them to the city's central square, for all to see, and carry out punishment with a firearm. Justice served.

I pray none of you are forced to endure what my wife and I are going through.

[theseahorse]

Again nothing suggesting that wild elephants are being killed for the tourist sector (elephant camps) What is ironic is that after all the major elephant parks up in the north were raided not one had broken the law. The one NGO I think it is called Elephant Nature Park not only had 4 elephants removed including one calf but actually tried hiding the baby elephant. No license for the 4 elephants including the elephant calf. It just makes me laugh when there is so much undocumented viral negative propaganda towards elephant camps and the one shining glorified elephant camp was found to be breaking the law. Most if not all NGO's have little to no checks and balances, Maybe it's time that they should.

You seem to be completely missing the point of the NGO's.

They're exsist for a place for animals to go when there's no where else to go and nobody wants them, at times this may mean that they don't have all the paperwork straight away, but they do get looked after and have a safe home and good vetenary care. The recent raids are appauling for the simple fact they are taking animals away from a good home and putting them into second rate goverment run places. If any of these people actually cared about the animals, they would be giving warning out and then making sure that all animals are officially registered and are being kept in good conditions, not just taking the animals away.

Most of these raids on the NGO's came about due to one of them asking the DNP to do DNA tests on the baby elephants in the tourist parks to make sure they are the calfs of the mother they are registered to and not from the wild elephants that have recently been found slaughted in National parks. Any tourist park that has legal baby elephants would have nothng to worry about. The DNA testing is a great thing for everyone and if the DNP had just done this they would have come out looking like the good guys. But they didn't, they decided to raid some of SE Asia's best animal sancturies and have shown the world how much Thai official care about it's wildlife.

I like to think that everyone is innocent until proven guilty, but just like a drink driving test, it you refuse a simple test it's obvious you have something to hide.