Bangkok snake restaurant raided, owner charged

A 20-strong team of police officers and officials from the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department’s “Wild Hawk” task force stormed the restaurant – Luang Toto on Srivara Road in Wang Thong Lang district – in time to find two plates of chopped snake freshly served to diners’ tables.
Snake meat in nine large jars was also in plain view, soaked in alcohol and fermented in spices.
Two live rat snakes, a live yellow-headed temple turtle, 21 live snapping turtles, a pangolin carcass and 90 grams of pangolin scales were also seized. 
The live turtles and snakes were kept in concrete ponds behind the restaurant.
Restaurant owner Jamu Saeyee, 66, a native of Mae Fa Luang in Chiang Rai, was arrested and charged with violating the Wild Animal Reservation and Protection Act 1992. 
If convicted, he faces four years in prison and/or a Bt40,000 in fine, Wild Hawk leader Thiradech Palasuwan said. 
The restaurant had been raided on January 6 and shut down after a single turtle was found. Luang Toto soon after resumed operations, prompting authorities to mount another raid.
Jamu told police he’d operated the restaurant for seven or eight years and it was popular among Chinese and others seeking “exotic” cuisine. 
Tourist Police deputy commander Pol Colonel Achayon Kraithong said the wildlife had been kept illegally and slaughtered for the consumption of foreigners. 
The restaurant claimed the meat contained medicinal properties and would boost consumers’ stamina and energy, he said. 
Police are checking on the legal status of 16 Myanmar nationals working at the restaurant and would try and determine the sources of the animals.