Animal welfare bill 'too vague' – Phuket's Soi Dog charity

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Animal welfare bill 'too vague' – Phuket's Soi Dog charity
The Phuket News


Dogs on the way to slaughter in jammed-full cages.

PHUKET: -- Thailand’s National Legislative Assembly (NLA) yesterday (November 13) passed the first ever Animal Welfare Bill in the country, designed to punish people who abuse or neglect animals. The Bill was passed by a vote of 188-1, with four abstentions.

But the Phuket-based Soi Dog Foundation (SDF), which advised the NLA and is probably the most powerful lobby in Thailand for decent treatment of animals, today expressed disappointment that the new bill does not go far enough.

The legislation covers domesticated pets, animals raised for food, working animals, animals kept for entertainment purposes, wild animals in captivity and animals kept for any other purpose.

It prohibits cruel treatment of animals and stipulates that owners/carers must provide appropriate living conditions and a certain level of animal welfare.

The law allows police to enter homes and businesses to act on reports of animal cruelty. The maximum sentence for perpetrators is two years in jail and/or a B40,000 fine.

SDF Foundation co-founder and Vice President John Dalley, who advised the NLA on what should be included in the Bill, said “While welcoming the passing of Thailand’s first Animal Welfare Bill as a step in the right direction, SDF Foundation has serious concerns over the lack of clarity in the legislation.

“All other animal welfare laws throughout the world provide very specific guidelines to enable authorities to determine what is legal and what is illegal.”

He was referring specifically to a clause in the law which allows the killing of animals for food “which are usually considered as food”.

The committee responsible for reviewing the Bill stated that dogs and cats are not regarded as food in Thailand, and that therefore they are implicitly covered by the bill, but they have avoided explicitly stating which type of animals it will be illegal to kill for consumption.

Mr Dalley added, “It’s similar to introducing a law on driving too fast. Without specifying speed limits, the decision is left to individual police officers, and the courts, who may have different ideas as to whether a motorist was speeding or not. It is totally open to interpretation.”

The issue was raised at yesterday’s parliamentary meeting, and a notation added to this effect, meaning that in the future a committee that is to be formed to manage the law may consider clarifying the issue.

No mention is made in the law as to whether it is legal or illegal to kill a pet animal for its skin.

The northeast of Thailand, close to the border with Laos, is home to Thailand’s dog meat and dog skin trade which, according to the Thai Veterinary Medical Association, has seen up to 500,000 dogs a year slaughtered and processed in Thailand or Laos, or exported to Vietnam and China for human consumption.

The industry, SDF asserts, is run by organised criminal gangs and is worth up to US$25 million (B750 million) a year. The SDF has been at the forefront of a campaign to end the trade in Thailand in dogs for food or leather.

Mr Dalley concluded, “The only way a law can be measured for effectiveness is how it affects the level of crime it is meant to stop.

“The coming months will indicate whether the authorities are able to enforce the law as it stands now. Without clear guidelines, we fear the authorities will be reluctant to act in many cases.”

The work of the SDF can been seen here and here.

www.soidog.org or www.facebook.com/SoiDogPageInEnglish.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/animal-welfare-bill-%E2%80%98too-vague%E2%80%99-phuket%E2%80%99s-soi-dog-charity-49660.php


-- Phuket News 2014-11-14

[ALLSEEINGEYE]

Dogs and other pets don't need welfare. Sure they could pick up their cheques easy enough but they don't have any pockets.

[KarenBravo]

Enforcement?

[Tuskfish]

um... what about elephants???

[super22k]

Animals have feelings and can feel pain.People who are cruel to animals would inflict the same cruelty on human beings if they got the chance. I love animals.

[Farang99]

Enforcement?

In Thailand? What is that?

[Guest]

Nobody should cause pain to the animals, but why eating dogs should be banned and at the same time eating pigs is perfectly ok?

Which animals are ok to eat and which are not seems to have more to do with the person's cultural background, rather than anything else.

If I understood correctly, eating horse meat is not very popular for example in UK. Then again, the salty salami made from horse is absolutely delicious.

[grumpyoldman]

Nobody should cause pain to the animals, but why eating dogs should be banned and at the same time eating pigs is perfectly ok?

Which animals are ok to eat and which are not seems to have more to do with the person's cultural background, rather than anything else.

If I understood correctly, eating horse meat is not very popular for example in UK. Then again, the salty salami made from horse is absolutely delicious.

Couldn't agree more Oilinki, uncertain for me where the "this animal is ok to eat, this one not" theories come from and as you say, strictly a cultural matter. Haven't had horse salami but would give it a go, sure. Pretty sure I have eaten dog (Ensenada Mexico early 80's, "whats in this taco, not sure, seems real chewy") but if it's a regular dish in say, China, who's to judge?

Have had salami made from Kangaroo, it was quite good and put a hop in my step.

The one that kills me though is people who abandon their dog. Raise it as family and the poor animal is left at the side of the road or at the wat, thinking "what did I do, where is my family,why did they bail on me"? Thats a heart breaker for me and massive shame on anyone who does that.

[Guest]

Generally I think the animal treatment in Thailand is better than in the industrialised world. At least the chickens seems to enjoy quite free life, before they are turned to khao pad kai in the little villages. Full scale commercial matrix might be a different case.

One of the brilliant adds for the people who think that the electricity is coming from walls and ATM prints the money, while they are driving their individual cars to the nearest Starbucks.

[BudRight]

Four legs good two legs bad.