Landmark animal welfare law 'falls short' on preventing cruelty

[Lite Beer]

Landmark animal welfare law 'falls short' on preventing cruelty

BANGKOK: Animal rights groups say the country's first law against cruelty to animals falls short of the mark, with particular concern surrounding stray dogs and birds freed from temples.

After more than a decade of campaigning by activists, the National Legislative Assembly on Wednesday passed the Animal Welfare Bill by 188-1 votes.

But Chollada Mekratri, model and founder of The Voice Foundation, claimed further regulations are necessary.

“The bill overlooks stray dogs and some details are subject to interpretation,” she said.

The legislation covers domestic pets, animals raised for food and working animals. It prohibits cruel treatment and says owners must provide appropriate living conditions. 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 prison and/or a 40,000 baht fine.

Soi Dog Foundation co-founder John Dalley described the bill as “a step in the right direction”. But the charity has concerns over a 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 said. “Without clear guidelines, we fear the authorities will be reluctant to act in many cases.”

Tirapongse Pangsrivongse, president of the Thai Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said the bill marks a victory for rights groups. However, he warned regulations must be specific about what constitutes cruelty.

“By only specifying piecemeal details of cruel acts, the law will exclude more cruel acts than it includes,” he said. “Unfortunately the creativity of unscrupulous people knows no bounds.”

Mr Tirapongse added that regulations should pay particular attention to Thai customs.

“Some people torture birds without knowing it,” he said. “Thais have a tradition of releasing wild birds to make merit, without knowing that the people they bought them from may have stolen adult birds from nests, leaving baby birds waiting to be fed.”

Mr Tirapongse saivad new the law is only the beginning. “We now have to educate people to prevent cruelty,” he said.

-- Phuket News 2014-11-16

[noitom]

"Details are subject to interpretation." A hallmark of any Thai legislation or business agreement.

[slapout]

The biggest problem in Thailand is the people tasked with writing''laws'' against animal cruelty etc and those who would enforce said laws have opposite agendas, in some cases those with good intensions, writing the laws, have no authority to enforce the law or the agencies who are authorized to enforce same.

Thus you end up with a declawed, toothless group suggesting changes to a way/life style of thinking/practice in a society that has been brought up accepting what is regarded as bad behavior by a minority.

The only laws that seems constainly followed in Thailand are the law of ignore and do as I want/please..

[jaltsc]

“We now have to educate people to prevent cruelty...”

Should be no problem. Especially with Thailand's track record with preventing cruelty against humans who "lack Thainess".

Edited November 16, 2014 by jaltsc

[jpeg]

I paid a call at my local vet clinic a couple of weeks ago. She had a number of dogs in cages waiting to be treated/shampooed. One small shaven dog lay shivering with badly rheumy eyes and several severe cuts on it's hindquarters. I'd at first thought she'd either taken the dog in, as she is wont to do with some homeless animals, and that the dog was awaiting her care. When I asked about the dog, she replied it had an eye infection, 'then it has an owner, what about those cuts on it's back?' She shrugged her shoulders and said there was nothing she could do as it wasn't her dog. I told her that if a dog was presented to a vet in my home country in this condition, the animal welfare authorities would be informed and the owner jailed. Which is precisely what's needed here. Forget the greng jai!

[JohnThailandJohn]

The law allows police to enter homes and businesses to act on reports of animal cruelty.

Soi Dog Foundation co-founder John Dalley described the bill as “a step in the right direction”

Warrantless searches into people's homes day or night to check on a dog, cat or bird. Sounds like a great step ... backwards.

[jpeg]

Warrantless searches into people's homes day or night to check on a dog, cat or bird. Sounds like a great step ... backwards.

How so?

[JohnThailandJohn]

The law allows police to enter homes and businesses to act on reports of animal cruelty.

Soi Dog Foundation co-founder John Dalley described the bill as a step in the right direction

Warrantless searches into people's homes day or night to check on a dog, cat or bird. Sounds like a great step ... backwards.

How so?

"How so", what? Not sure what you are asking. If you are asking about warrantless ... it seems fairly clear the the police are being given this permission and not passing a new cruelty act that give a judge power to issue a warrant ... rather the police are giving being given permission to searchomes based on a tip, possibly anonymous.

Edited November 16, 2014 by JohnThailandJohn

[jpeg]

"How so", what? Not sure what you are asking. If you are asking about warrantless ... it seems fairly clear the the police are being given this permission and not passing a new cruelty act that give a judge power to issue a warrant ... rather the police are giving being given permission to searchomes based on a tip, possibly anonymous.

I've got news for you. They do that anyway

[Lupatria]

I did not expect anything else in a country where people already have very little respect for 'human' life

Edited November 16, 2014 by Lupatria

[kamahele]

1. It is a good start

2. Thailand has lots of good laws on the books but lack of enforcement seems to be an issue so I wonder how or if this law will be enforced. I hope not only selectively.

[SEEDGER]

I live in a once quite neighborhood. I movedin in October 2014 and was looking for peace and quite.

There was a sad looking bitch who had lost almost all her hair and I made the mistake of caring for her. Fast forward to today now instead of feeding one sad Bitch I am now feeding the 4 puppies she had as well as her. And to make matters worse she now is in heat again! I cannot leave my home at night unless I want to run the risk of being bitten by the half dozen horny Feral male dogs that follow her like the paparazi followed Princess Diana!

If things follow coures she be knocked up this week and in 70 days there wil be another 4 to 8 puppies added to the exsisting 4 that were born in October!

The dogs are mid sized not quite as big as a labradore but close. I tried to head this off at the pass I went to a vet and they quoted a price of $400.00 US to clip the puppies! I said sorry but I'm not going to spend 2000$ US to fix a problem that in 2 years will be so out of control that the local government will not no what to do.

Here's my take Mama who is like a ripe plumb will have another litter in 70 days the first litter had 2 females which will be breedable by summer; if each of the females has 4 puppies then by October 2015 the neighborhood will have 16 new dogs!

As of right now I cannot leave my home without the worry of being attacked by the large agressive male dogs that are wanting a piece of her tail. This problem will only get worse as the female pupps become of age. To the authors of the new bill "UP Yours" and I'm being polite! What i would really like to do is gather up the 30 or so Wild Dogs that will be in the neighborhood by this time next year and drop them all into your neighborhood while 8 or 10 of the bitches are in heat and let you diplay your Thainess and kindness to the wild dogs!