Plodprasop Released On Bail In Alleged Tiger Export Case

[webfact]

Plodprasop released on bail in alleged tiger export case

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The Ratchadapisek Criminal Court Wednesday granted a Bt120,000 bail release to Minister of Science and Technology Plodprasop Suraswadi, who was accused of authorising the export of 100 tigers to a Chinese zoo in defiance of the animal exchange law in 2002.

The court appointed the review of evidences from both sides on April 22, 2013.

The lawsuit accused Plodprasop, then the Royal Forestry Department chief, and senior forestry official Manop Laoprasert for authorising the export of Sri Racha Tiger Zoo's 100 tigers to Sunya Zoo in China from September 9December 24, 2002, without persuing the legal criteria, procedure and conditions.

-- The Nation 2012-12-19

[MaxLee]

So, not only does Plodprasop threaten then entire nation with his ill advised water management or Thai nuclear plan procedures, he's messing up with tiger deportation business

[webfact]

Deputy PM Plodprasop indicted for illegal tiger exports

By Digital Media

BANGKOK, Dec 19 – Deputy Prime Minister Plodprasop Suraswadi was indicted in the Criminal Court today for illegally exporting 100 Bengal tigers to China in 2002 when he was director general of the Royal Forestry Department.

He was brought to court to be arraigned for approving the tiger exports by the Sriracha Tiger Zoo between September 9 and December 24, 2002 – a violation of Thai law and a breach of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

The Attorney General, in filing the case with the court, charged Mr Plodprasop and senior forestry official Manop Laoprasert with being implicated in the corruption case. The Department of Special Investigation initially submitted the allegations against them to the National Anti-Corruption Commission which found sufficient evidence to file suit against them.

Mr Plodprasop was released on bail after his lawyer put a Bt120,000 bond. He said he has been waiting for a decade to prove his innocence in court.

“I insist that I’ve done nothing wrong for I have performed my duty. Exporting tigers to China is not wrong. Anyone who charged me with malfeasance should produce evidence to substantiate their allegations and prove whether the export has caused any damage [to the country],” he said. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2012-12-19

[ChrisY1]

Hardly unbelievable at all.....!!! A Government Minister......

[dksharron]

Any other articles mentioning the price of the tigers?

100 tigers, only a bail of 1,200 baht / tiger exported

[Moruya]

Behold the scruples of the government

[ALFREDO]

Realistic,

Sri Racha and some other Tiger centers, produces to many Tigers, need always small one for their Zoo, photos and so on.

Does not know where to put most of their over population.

Kill them and throw away?

Chinese medicine needs Tiger parts, wild Tigers get poached for that reason, as the Tiger meat, parts trade is officially banned.

So why not sale them to the Chinese, I think that could even limit and put the breaks on the difficult to control poaching!

[EyesWideOpen]

I am somewhat amazed to see this story come back. I remember when this story first came out a while ago. Sriracha zoo caught red handed selling tigers to China to be made into tiger penis soup....If they sent two tigers they could go with the story of a zoo transfer. But 100 tigers would not fly with that story.... For normal operations for Thailand is to have these stories gently fade away.

But it is interesting to me to see Plodprasop was involved. Given all his wacky actions over the last year it is not really surprising. Maybe the government has decided he is a liability and wants to throw him under the bus. I for one would not be sad to see him go.

[sjjmmi]

Thailand the HUB of international smuggling

[Moruya]

Realistic,

Sri Racha and some other Tiger centers, produces to many Tigers, need always small one for their Zoo, photos and so on.

Does not know where to put most of their over population.

Kill them and throw away?

Chinese medicine needs Tiger parts, wild Tigers get poached for that reason, as the Tiger meat, parts trade is officially banned.

So why not sale them to the Chinese, I think that could even limit and put the breaks on the difficult to control poaching!

You are Plodprasop and I claim my reward

[tingtongfarang]

There has to be nik name for this guy evolving from this story...any ideas?

[siampolee]

There has to be nik name for this guy evolving from this story...any ideas?

Chip Shop Plodprasop Cheap Tiger Chops

[tingtongfarang]

There has to be nik name for this guy evolving from this story...any ideas?

Chip Shop Plodprasop Cheap Tiger Chops

I cant work out why he did,nt just sell the penises and or various other body parts

[TomTao]

Didn't have the proper export permit.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Thaivisa Connect App

[AleG]

This is the same... individual that wanted to have an exotic animal buffet at the Chiang Mai zoo.

I'm sure he came to be the (putatively) richest member of Yingluck's cabinet through honest hard work and sheer brilliance.

[EyesWideOpen]

This is the same... individual that wanted to have an exotic animal buffet at the Chiang Mai zoo.

I'm sure he came to be the (putatively) richest member of Yingluck's cabinet through honest hard work and sheer brilliance.

So........I guess there is no link whatsoever between intelligence and the acquisition of massive wealth??

[Payboy]

100 tigers sent out of Thailand! What a pity! To think that any one of them could go on and win the Masters someday.

[ALFREDO]

Realistic,

Sri Racha and some other Tiger centers, produces to many Tigers, need always small one for their Zoo, photos and so on.

Does not know where to put most of their over population.

Kill them and throw away?

Chinese medicine needs Tiger parts, wild Tigers get poached for that reason, as the Tiger meat, parts trade is officially banned.

So why not sale them to the Chinese, I think that could even limit and put the breaks on the difficult to control poaching!

You are Plodprasop and I claim my reward

My argument wrong?

That is the argument what always appears regarding drugs.

Let the forbidden drugs roam free, you never can stop them anyway

and get rid of the nasty effects of "illicit" drug trafficking.

Costs probably, some human lives who come more easy to an overdose.

Saves at least 10th of thousand of murdered people lives in Mexico drug cartel wars alone!

Regarding, the Tigers, let them sale the Tigers to China and solve some lives of free Tigers in the wilderness.

Costs instead, some unwanted, some starving too, Tigers lives who are in "zoo prison".

The same discussion is running since many years about the ivory trade!

In some parts of African animal reserves with limited space and resources,

have to shoot elephants because of overcrowding but cannot use the ivory.

In other parts of Africa, out and inside of other parks with less and dwindling elephant population, free roaming elephants are poached

You cannot make always all happy and satisfy, at the same time. Everything has its flaws.

Edited December 19, 2012 by ALFREDO

[fstarbkk]

Realistic,

Sri Racha and some other Tiger centers, produces to many Tigers, need always small one for their Zoo, photos and so on.

Does not know where to put most of their over population.

Kill them and throw away?

Chinese medicine needs Tiger parts, wild Tigers get poached for that reason, as the Tiger meat, parts trade is officially banned.

So why not sale them to the Chinese, I think that could even limit and put the breaks on the difficult to control poaching!

You are Plodprasop and I claim my reward

My argument wrong?

That is the argument what always appears regarding drugs.

Let the forbidden drugs roam free, you never can stop them anyway

and get rid of the nasty effects of "illicit" drug trafficking.

Costs probably, some human lives who come more easy to an overdose.

Saves at least 10th of thousand of murdered people lives in Mexico drug cartel wars alone!

Regarding, the Tigers, let them sale the Tigers to China and solve some lives of free Tigers in the wilderness.

Costs instead, some unwanted, some starving too, Tigers lives who are in "zoo prison".

The same discussion is running since many years about the ivory trade!

In some parts of African animal reserves with limited space and resources,

have to shoot elephants because of overcrowding but cannot use the ivory.

In other parts of Africa, out and inside of other parks with less and dwindling elephant population, free roaming elephants are poached

You cannot make always all happy and satisfy, at the same time. Everything has its flaws.

In a zoo it should be possible to control overpopulation through segregation or sterilization, without having to resort to selling them off "for parts".

By your logic, should we support breeding of moon bears in captivity, to facilitate the in-vivo extraction of bear-bile for the Chinese medicine market. Really!

[ALFREDO]

You cannot make always all happy and satisfy, at the same time. Everything has its flaws.

In a zoo it should be possible to control overpopulation through segregation or sterilization, without having to resort to selling them off "for parts".

By your logic, should we support breeding of moon bears in captivity, to facilitate the in-vivo extraction of bear-bile for the Chinese medicine market. Really!

You can only change what you can!

Tiger Zoo and other specialized Zoos-shows=Phuket Fantasy-Kamala ect. with hugging, cuddling and Baby Tiger photo shoots need a constant flow of small Tigers. How you can provide that with segregation and sterilization?

So you can provide the small Tigers and outgrown use them for Tiger parts, we do that with many animals we use for meat or fur, no?

And, if you provide enough Tiger animal parts to an acceptable price, you can help the wild roaming Tigers to survive!

The elephant ivory trade, same thing, some have to be killed, or you make there your sterilization project, possible with that big sized animals?

Allow the sale of controlled shot elephants ivory and is a solution to limit poaching for sure.

Both possible solutions provide the animals a short but possibly not so bad life

and "one hand helps washing the other one" as we say.

Your brought up subject, is a completely different pair of shoes,

the bears, I would believe, have never a good life, crammed in their cells.

But, can you change something?

You cannot get to that -bear-bile- differently, in an easy way. So just forbid that kind of animal torturing! Can you?

Edited December 19, 2012 by ALFREDO

[fstarbkk]

You cannot make always all happy and satisfy, at the same time. Everything has its flaws.

In a zoo it should be possible to control overpopulation through segregation or sterilization, without having to resort to selling them off "for parts".

By your logic, should we support breeding of moon bears in captivity, to facilitate the in-vivo extraction of bear-bile for the Chinese medicine market. Really!

You can only change what you can!

Tiger Zoo and other specialized Zoos-shows=Phuket Fantasy-Kamala ect. with hugging, cuddling and Baby Tiger photo shoots need a constant flow of small Tigers. How you can provide that with segregation and sterilization?

So you can provide the small Tigers and outgrown use them for Tiger parts, we do that with many animals we use for meat or fur, no?

And, if you provide enough Tiger animal parts to an acceptable price, you can help the wild roaming Tigers to survive!

The elephant ivory trade, same thing, some have to be killed, or you make there your sterilization project, possible with that big sized animals?

Allow the sale of controlled shot elephants ivory and is a solution to limit poaching for sure.

Both possible solutions provide the animals a short but possibly not so bad life

and "one hand helps washing the other one" as we say.

Your brought up subject, is a completely different pair of shoes,

the bears, I would believe, have never a good life, crammed in their cells.

But, can you change something?

You cannot get to that -bear-bile- differently, in an easy way. So just forbid that kind of animal torturing! Can you?

I understand what you say, Alfredo. But I do not share your fatalist view of the world. No progress in human history would ever be made if every irrational and counterproductive behavior were accepted as a given. In this day and age there is simply no reason for things like the fur trade, the Ivory trade or tiger penises as medicine, or baby tigers as tourist amusements to exist.

I guess we have a fundamentally different perspective on the evolution of the human race

If everyone thought like this, we would still be burning witches at the stake!

Edited December 19, 2012 by fstarbkk

[ALFREDO]

In this day and age there is simply no reason for things like the fur trade, the Ivory trade or tiger penises as medicine, or baby tigers as tourist amusements to exist.

I guess we have a fundamentally different perspective on the evolution of the human race

If everyone thought like this, we would still be burning witches at the stake!

Please,

there is also no reason, for so many things, to hunt whales, or fish all kinds of fish species to their extinction, or kill the last -Stoer- for Russian-Iranian caviar-prices same Gold, nearly!

But the sorry reality that all is happening and you live in denial when your dream about the -evolution of the human race-?

Regarding the fur trade, if kept in farms and with acceptable living standards it is maybe better life than the life of cattle, pigs and chickens.

You also want to stop trading of their meat? Some people would like to do that, but will it work out that way?

Burning the witches, yeah, was not so bad thing to do today, I know at least one from my past!

[webfact]

Thai deputy PM charged over export of 100 tigers to China

BANGKOK, Dec 19, 2012 (AFP) - A Thai deputy prime minister was charged Wednesday in connection with the export to China of 100 tigers, an endangered species protected by international law, the attorney general's office told AFP.

Plodprasop Suraswadi approved the export of tigers from Sriracha Tiger Zoo -- a popular tourist attraction a few hours from Bangkok -- to a Chinese breeding firm in 2002. He was the head of the forestry department at the time.

He was charged under an article in Thai law which includes the "abuse of power, failing to carry out his duty and/or corruption," according to Teerayhut Mapame of the attorney general's office.

It was unclear why the charges were being brought a decade later.

Plodprasop, who became one of the nation's deputy prime ministers in November, admitted sending the endangered creatures to China but denied the charges against him.

"I'm not wrong as I have always performed my duty. Sending the tigers to China was not wrong," Plodprasop told reporters after being granted bail of $4,000.

"If anyone accuses me of wrongdoing, then I ask them to bring evidence to prove how it caused any damage."

Under international laws the trade in tigers and tiger parts is strictly banned, except for non-commercial reasons such as scientific research.

The zoo at the centre of the controversy is home to 400 Bengal tigers, according to its website, allowing thousands of tourists each year to get close to the creatures. It holds shows in which tigers jump through flaming hoops.

Thailand is one of just 13 countries hosting fragile tiger populations -- estimated at fewer than 300 in the wild -- and is a hub of international smuggling.

Worldwide, numbers are estimated to have fallen to only 3,200 tigers from approximately 100,000 a century ago.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2012-12-20

[webfact]

Plodprasop granted bail over tiger case

ANUPAN JANTHANA

THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- The Ratchadapisek Criminal Court yesterday approved a Bt120,000 bail guarantee for Deputy Prime Minister Plodprasop Suraswadi, who faces charges for allegedly authorising the export of 100 tigers to China in 2002 while he was Royal Forest Department (RFD) chief.

Plodprasop and senior RFD official Manop Laoprasert are accused of pushing through the export of 100 tigers from the Chon Buri's Sri Racha Tiger Zoo to the Sunya Zoo in China from September 9 to December 24, 2002, without following the legal criteria, procedure and conditions. As per the Animal Exchange Law, private firms are prohibited from trading animals. Both zoos are privately owned.

After the Department of Special Investigation filed this case with the National Anti-Corruption Commission, it was discovered that this accusation had grounds and subsequently led to the public prosecutor asking the court yesterday to punish the minister. However, Plodprasop pleaded "not guilty" and set up a team of lawyers to defend him. The evidence from both sides will be reviewed on April 22.

Plodprasop said he is happy for being given a chance to prove his innocence in court after waiting for more than 10 years.

-- The Nation 2012-12-20

[noitom]

Plodprasop looks great in that very expensive custom tailored suit.

[MaxLee]

And here you got the answer of where did the money for all those flood projects go…

[Crushdepth]

At least these ones weren't eaten in his wildlife restaurant.

[Pimay1]

Does anyone have a current count of the number of MPs, cabinet members and other members of the Yingluck administration that is under indictment for breaking one or more laws?

I know people jokingly say that is a prerequisite to be part of the PTP government but it is beginning to look like it may have some truth to it.

[Skywalker69]

There has to be nik name for this guy evolving from this story...any ideas?

[Thaddeus]

There has to be nik name for this guy evolving from this story...any ideas?

Chip Shop Plodprasop Cheap Tiger Chops

I cant work out why he did,nt just sell the penises and or various other body parts

Because the best way to smuggle a tiger penis is to leave it attached to the tiger ..... cuts down on the biting and scratching.