Russian Couple Caught Touting Monkeys In Phuket

[webfact]

Russian couple caught touting monkeys in Phuket
Naraporn Tuarob


Andrey Olegovich Belov, 31, and Ekaterina Nikolaevna Denisovich, 22 were found in possession of the monkeys.

PHUKET: -- A Russian couple were arrested on Koh Khai Nok yesterday afternoon (March 14), accused of possession of three baby macaques – a protected species.

Officers of the Natural Resources and Environment Department’s Crime Suppression Division visited the island after receiving information that the couple were offering tourists on the island the chance to be photographed with the monkeys.

The officers were told that the couple – Andrey Olegovich Belov, 31, and Ekaterina Nikolaevna Denisovich, 22 – had been visiting the island daily for several weeks, charging tourists B200 to be photographed with two of the monkeys, or B300 with all three.

Although Koh Kai Nok is in Phang Nga Province, it was getting late by the time they had been arrested, so they were taken to Phuket City Police Station for initial processing.

At first, the couple told police that the monkeys belonged to them, and Belov produced paperwork which he said confirmed this.

However, officers discovered the paperwork consisted only of health records, and the names of an animal hospital in Chalong and of a microchip installation company.

The couple then told the police that the macaques belonged to a friend called Alex, but that he had gone back to Russia so they were looking after the animals for him.

All three monkeys – named Anthony, Sam and Sonya – had microchips in their bodies and appeared to be in good health.

Police concluded that the couple had no government paperwork confirming their right to be in possession of a protected species. The macaques have therefore been seized and will be given into the care of Awat Nithikul, Senior Forest Academic at Khao Phra Taew Forest Preserve, before eventually being released into the wild.

Belov and Denisovich are due to appear at the police station on Koh Yao Noi today, to be formally charged. They are expected to receive bail.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/russian-couple-caught-touting-monkeys-in-phuket-37857.php


-- Phuket News 2013-03-15

[FireMedic]

Is anyone going to bring up the obvious elephant in the room? Endangered monkeys on Bangla run by Thais for years with little or no enforcement......monkeys on Koh Kai......5 minutes before enforcement showed up and arrests were made. I guess someone didn't get the memo about paying for protection.

[PoorSucker]

Send them to the monkey house.

[BillStrangeOgre]

Wouldn't they also need a work permit to be doing that?

[Phronesis]

Sigh

Need I even wonder why my student visa requirements are getting tightened up.

Looking at his physique, I am guessing Andrey is a junkie...

Happy to be corrected.

And OMG....is he really the best bloke young Ekaterina good snag...

To hell with the Thai girls...

I am going to start chatting up fit looking 22 year old Russian girls.

If the likes of Andrey here is my competition I am on a sure thing.

I am no prize...but I think I may be a better catch than a junkie who touts photos with stolen monkeys for a living...

[DaamNaam]

USSR's holes

[JetsetBkk]

It's no laughing matter.

[yummypizza]

Well they just opened up a business idea that will now catch on like wildfire i guess amongst the daring Thais...

[doggie888888]

Good that they are being photographed, pointed at and put into a cage at the end of the day. Now who is the monkey and how does it feel?

[Marlow999]

Sigh

Need I even wonder why my student visa requirements are getting tightened up.

Looking at his physique, I am guessing Andrey is a junkie...

Happy to be corrected.

And OMG....is he really the best bloke young Ekaterina good snag...

To hell with the Thai girls...

I am going to start chatting up fit looking 22 year old Russian girls.

If the likes of Andrey here is my competition I am on a sure thing.

I am no prize...but I think I may be a better catch than a junkie who touts photos with stolen monkeys for a living...

The downside of your plan, if it's successful, is that you'd end up with something like Ekaterina...not exactly an oil painting if you look closely!

[Locationthailand]

Ekaterina has a couple of fine points I can't quite put my finger on. But the question remains who put the micro chips in the monkeys? Enterprising of the Ruskies too.

[Phronesis]

Sigh

Need I even wonder why my student visa requirements are getting tightened up.

Looking at his physique, I am guessing Andrey is a junkie...

Happy to be corrected.

And OMG....is he really the best bloke young Ekaterina good snag...

To hell with the Thai girls...

I am going to start chatting up fit looking 22 year old Russian girls.

If the likes of Andrey here is my competition I am on a sure thing.

I am no prize...but I think I may be a better catch than a junkie who touts photos with stolen monkeys for a living...

The downside of your plan, if it's successful, is that you'd end up with something like Ekaterina...not exactly an oil painting if you look closely!

What downside:

1. She is a better sort than most of the girls in the beer bars of Chalong, Rawai, Nai Yang and Kamala

2. She clearly does not care if her partner dresses like a vagrant

3. She likes older men

4. She is happy with a partner who has an income of a few hundred baht per day

5. She likes being photographed

[stevenl]

Sigh

Need I even wonder why my student visa requirements are getting tightened up.

Looking at his physique, I am guessing Andrey is a junkie...

Happy to be corrected.

And OMG....is he really the best bloke young Ekaterina good snag...

To hell with the Thai girls...

I am going to start chatting up fit looking 22 year old Russian girls.

If the likes of Andrey here is my competition I am on a sure thing.

I am no prize...but I think I may be a better catch than a junkie who touts photos with stolen monkeys for a living...

The downside of your plan, if it's successful, is that you'd end up with something like Ekaterina...not exactly an oil painting if you look closely!

What downside:

1. She is a better sort than most of the girls in the beer bars of Chalong, Rawai, Nai Yang and Kamala

2. She clearly does not care if her partner dresses like a vagrant

3. She likes older men

4. She is happy with a partner who has an income of a few hundred baht per day

5. She likes being photographed

3 monkeys, 200 Baht for a photo? A very, very rough guess but I would think they made at least 6,000 Baht per day.

[Jimi007]

Sigh

Need I even wonder why my student visa requirements are getting tightened up.

Looking at his physique, I am guessing Andrey is a junkie...

Happy to be corrected.

And OMG....is he really the best bloke young Ekaterina good snag...

To hell with the Thai girls...

I am going to start chatting up fit looking 22 year old Russian girls.

If the likes of Andrey here is my competition I am on a sure thing.

I am no prize...but I think I may be a better catch than a junkie who touts photos with stolen monkeys for a living...

The downside of your plan, if it's successful, is that you'd end up with something like Ekaterina...not exactly an oil painting if you look closely!

What downside:

1. She is a better sort than most of the girls in the beer bars of Chalong, Rawai, Nai Yang and Kamala

2. She clearly does not care if her partner dresses like a vagrant

3. She likes older men

4. She is happy with a partner who has an income of a few hundred baht per day

5. She likes being photographed

3 monkeys, 200 Baht for a photo? A very, very rough guess but I would think they made at least 6,000 Baht per day.

It was ฿200 for two monkeys and ฿300 for a photo with three monkeys.

[Barabbas]

Don't feel any pity for those exploiting b@$tards. This sort of business is not only illegal, but dumb as well.

[belg]

in my country, macaques are a big problem, if you know some dutch or french, you will get the joke

[Almera]

Just need to pay for their monkey touting license and all will be well.

[realenglish1]

More monkey business for the Police. But then they are good at monkying around

[webfact]

Russians held for illegally possessing monkeys
The Nation

PHUKET: -- Two Russian tourists were arrested Friday on charges of illegally possessing three protected pick-tailed monkeys. They allegedly exploited the animals for money by allowing tourists to take photos with the monkeys.

Andrey Belov, 31, and Ekaterina Denisovich, 22, were arrested by a group of police led by Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division chief Maj-General Norasak Hemnithi.

They were arrested on Phang Nga province's Koh Khai Nok island while luring other tourists to pay to take photos with the three pick-tailed monkeys, named Antony, Sam and Sonya.

Pick-tailed monkeys are protected and possession of them is banned under the Wildlife Preservation and Protection Act BE 2535.

Belov and Denisovich were unable to show police any legal documents permitting wildlife possession issued by a state agency. They produced only health examination papers for the monkeys to officials.

The two were detained at Phuket provincial police station.


-- The Nation 2013-03-15

[ChrisY1]

Stupid monkeys....they should know better than to mess around with Ruskies.

Monkeys out on bail....Russians back to the cage!

[stoffel45]

It's no laughing matter.laughing-monkey.gif

How DARE you say my children look like monkeys!

[Payboy]

accused of possession of three baby macaques – a protected species

I really didn't know macaque is a protected species, honest.

[pain666]

So, we have monkeys with RFID chips but no equipment to read the data and find out where they came from? It should be pretty easy to find out if these chips actually work.

Maybe the guys really got them legally and just were trying to earn a bit of money to get yaba.

Edited March 15, 2013 by pain666

[stevenl]

So, we have monkeys with RFID chips but no equipment to read the data and find out where they came from? It should be pretty easy to find out if these chips actually work.

Maybe the guys really got them legally and just were trying to earn a bit of money to get yaba.

Since the wildlife act was changed about 5? years ago they can not have had the monkeys legally. See also post #26.

Edited March 15, 2013 by stevenl

[Kananga]

Obviously you don't get the Pink Panther in Moscow. This is how you play the BIB at this game. Edited March 15, 2013 by Kananga

[Johnice]

Monkeys with chips, owned by Russians...sounds like a new plot for James Bond

[Thorgal]

And Lopburi is so famous for the hundreds of crab-eating macaques that overrun the Old Town, and there's even a monkey temple/amusement park where you can buy snacks from locals to feed to them.

Depends now if Mother Nature blessed them also with pig-tails...

[cup-O-coffee]

With names like Anthony, Sam and Sonya I hope the little scum get deported back to their own countries for taking away Thai jobs. I am surprised that the Thais aren't protesting this and rallying right now on the island against the monkeys... erm... or did I get that the other way around?

[bubblegum]

in my country, macaques are a big problem, if you know some dutch or french, you will get the joke

??? You mean marocco's ??

[KhunHehe]

Macaques don't need protection. I was chased by one rummaging through the garbage along the road on Koh Chang.

What about the guy walking the baby elephant down Silom in Bangkok?

Amazing Thailand.