FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
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Environment groups demand transparent probe into illegal hunt

Environment groups demand transparent probe into illegal hunt

ENVIRONMENTAL groups yesterday strongly condemned the trophy hunting case involving Italian-Thai Development Plc director Premchai Karnasuta and demanded that the authorities be fair and transparent in investigating the case.

Many said this was not the only case of hunting for pleasure in Thailand.
Student environment conservation clubs were among the first to react to the shocking issue of poaching in a wildlife sanctuary. 
The clubs from Thailand’s top universities, including Chulalongkorn, Thammasat, Chiang Mai and Burapha, jointly released a statement under the banner of Network of Environment Conservation Student Clubs of Thailand. They called on the authorities to prosecute the case against Premchai and his companions in a straightforward manner and ensure the law was enforced equitably, regardless of the accused’s wealth or social standing.
They also asked for an in-depth investigation to determine if any state official was involved in abetting the alleged poaching. The network vowed to take further action if progress in this case was not satisfactory.
International environmental groups including Freeland, Green World Foundation, LoveWildlife, Traffic, WildAid and World Wildlife Foundation also jointly released a statement making similar requests.
They pointed out that the hunted Indochinese leopard was one of only around 2,500 living in the wild across Southeast Asia and this species of big cat is listed as vulnerable in the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Endangered Species.
“This grim case highlights not just the critical importance and work of the rangers but also the need to re-examine if our wildlife laws in Thailand offer sufficient deterrence to those determined to hunt protected animals,” the joint statement wrote.
“We hope to see the Thai authorities move towards swift prosecution and conviction, and we hope everyone recognises the need for well-supported field protection and anti-poaching efforts to help these frontline teams of the DNP [Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation] increase the detection rate of incidences like this.”
Wildlife Friends Foundation secretary-general Edwin Wiek stressed that though this case was very shocking – because he did not think that a man with very high social status would commit such a crime – trophy hunting was not a new problem for wildlife conservation in Thailand.
“I have heard from my forest ranger colleagues from time to time that there are wealthy trophy hunters who go hunting in the national parks of Thailand, but most of these cases are never publicised because these people are wealthy and influential enough to escape law enforcement,” Wiek said.
“Therefore, I demand that the authorities enforce the law equally for everyone and make sure that people will follow the wildlife protection law by increasing the penalties for illegal hunting.”

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