THE NATION: Thai forestry police chief backs Dutch wildlife activist in court fight

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Thai forestry police chief backs Dutch wildlife activist in court fight

 

 

 

By Jim Pollard in Bangkok

 

with pics by Steve Sandford

 

 

 

The head of Thailand's forestry police has vowed to post bail for a Dutch

wildlife activist who faces court today (Thursday) over an animal rescue

centre he operates in Petchaburi. Major General Swake Pinsinchai said

yesterday he opposed the court action against Edwin Wiek, who has been

charged for having animals without proper documentation.

 

 

 

Supporters say Wiek is being persecuted by the National Parks Department

for pursuing the Safari World orangutan scandal, which received extensive

publicity worldwide at the time of the CITES conference here last September.

The Dutchman has led calls for the return of dozens of orangutans smuggled

in from Indonesia to the Bangkok theme park. Wiek, 39, is due to appear in

Petchaburi provincial court this morning (Thurs) to hear charges after more

than a dozen animals were seized by DNP officials in July from his centre in

Petchaburi, several hours south of the capital. Wiek, who heads the Wildlife

Friends of Thailand group, said he received a number of threatening calls to

back off the orangutan case and to stop " interfering in the department's

business around the time his centre was raided.

 

He has been acting as a representative for the Borneo Orangutan Survival

Foundation, which has called on the Thai government to return more than 50

orangutans at Safari World, where the animals were being made to perform in

boxing shows and pose in photos with tourists.

 

Orangutans are endangered under global monitoring body CITES (Convention

on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild fauna and flora), but

can fetch up to Bt1 million on the black market. Preecha Ratanaporn, at the

DNP in Petchaburi, confirmed that Wiek was set to face court, but denied it

was connected to the orangutan case. " He must follow our law. He has many

species of animals and he had no permit for them. That's why he's in

trouble, " Preecha said.

 

The case against Wiek is extraordinary, given the Department's lack of

action against Safari World over what is allegedly the biggest smuggling

case ever of endangered primates.

 

 

 

Major General Swake has sought to file charges against Safari World for

illegal possession of orangutans, but the department has yet to back any

action. Swake told The Nation English daily Wiek just intended to take care

of the animals like many monks in the country who keep wild animals such as

tigers in their temples. " The monks also have no proper documentation, " he

said. Legal action should only be taken against those keeping the wild

animals for commercial purposes, he said. The forestry police chief said the

action against Wiek was damaging the country's image as the case has

attracted huge attention from foreign media. He said he would post bail for

Wiek, and told him not to be discouraged. Swake said he already consulted

his lawyer, who told him that he would have to prepare up to Bt100,000

 

(US$2,500) for Wiek's bail. Indonesian officials have been so concerned

about the Safari World case they flew to Bangkok late last year to seek

assurances that the animals would be returned. This culminated in DNA tests

on the apes, which confirmed in December that many of them were smuggled

into the country and not bred in captivity, as originally claimed by park

owner Pin Kiewkacha.

 

 

 

ends