Praphat calls for harsher penalties

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ILLEGAL WILDLIFE TRADE

 

Praphat calls for harsher penalties

 

Raid in Saraburi nets 1,000 animals

 

 

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Praphat Panyachartrak will

propose harsher punishment for illegal wildlife traders so that they can no

longer avoid jail terms.

 

Mr Praphat said at Government House yesterday that he had already ordered

staff of the National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department to

prepare a legal amendment to allow harsher punishment.

 

The current penalty for illegal trading in protected animals is up to four

years' imprisonment or up to 40,000 baht fine.

 

In most cases, the jail sentence is usually dropped on payment of a fine.

The legal amendment would seek to make imprisonment compulsory, Mr Praphat

said.

 

He threatened to demand the maximum penalty for any illegal wildlife trader

caught.

 

He said officials would be strictly monitored to prevent their being

involved in the illegal trade.

 

Since the amnesty for wildlife possession had ended at the end of September,

Mr Praphat said hundreds of poachers had been arrested, while some officials

had died in action.

 

Mr Praphat was speaking against the backdrop of another raid on a home in

Saraburi province yesterday, which netted nearly 1,000 wild animals,

including tigers and a bear.

 

Also at the scene were scores of monkeys, gibbons, tortoises, foreign deer,

and many birds _ believed destined for sale in Bangkok.

 

The house owner was Thanakorn Thanachak, the same person who owned nearly

100 rare animals that were seized on Monday. He was arrested yesterday at

his home in Kaeng Khoi district.

 

The raid was the fourth in a series of clampdowns since last week. Wildlife

officials are getting tough on poaching and cross-country smuggling of wild

animals in a bid to wipe out the illegal activity by this year-end, in

preparation for hosting the meeting of the Convention on International Trade

in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora next year.

 

``We must conduct raids every day without pause,'' Mr Praphat said, after

learning of a frozen baby orangutan in Monday's raid in Pracha Chuen area of

Bangkok.

 

The National Parks, Plants and Wildlife Conservation Department said the

weekend markets in Chatuchak, Minburi, and Thawee Wattana districts are

known for illegal wildlife trading. Thung Kwian market in Lampang and

northern and northeastern border check points are also notorious.

 

Mr Praphat said he has asked the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to

maintain strict monitoring of wildlife trade at Chatuchak Weekend Market.

 

Failing this, he said he might have ministry officials carry out the

suppression drive or set up wildlife checkpoints there.

 

He said the public may call the ministry's hotline at 1362 to report

information on illegal wildlife trade.

 

National park department chief Somchai Pienstaporn admitted some officials

were involved in the illegal activity.

 

His department found it hard to recruit personnel for this job, which was

demanding and dangerous.