Arrested Dutch Wildlife Activist Freed by Police Commander in Thailand

[Guest guest]

Thai Forestry Police Chief bails out Wildlife Activist

 

 

 

Forestry Police Commander supports wildlife rescue center

 

 

 

Petchaburi, Thailand February 3rd 2005 - Dutch born wildlife activist Edwin

Wiek was briefly jailed today after appearing in the provincial court to

face charges relating to the possession of wildlife without proper

documents. Wiek, who runs the acclaimed Wildlife Friends Rescue Center, was

charged early in August 2004 after a series of raids and on his rescue

center and other acts of intimidation by officials. These individuals appear

to be trying to stop his involvement in the investigation of the illegal

cross-border trade of wildlife and in particular orang-utans. The Wildlife

Friends Rescue Center houses over one hundred and fifty protected wild

animals, most of which have suffered severe distress, are sick or have

physical disabilities. Officials of the Department of National Parks,

Wildlife and Plants (DNP), a department under the Ministry of Natural

Resources and Environment, said that for nineteen of these animals the

documents were not in order. Consequently in July 2004 some of these animals

were confiscated and removed from the center with great force on the order

of Schwann Tunhikorn, director of the DNP Wildlife Conservation Office and

Thailand's CITES office. Two of the animals were badly injured during their

capture. The animals in question were rescued from several locations in the

country and all were properly documented with letters of origin signed by

their previous owners. Ten of the nineteen were handed over by the Thai

Animal Guardians Association in Bangkok who carry out rescues of all animals

in need but do not run a facility for wildlife.

 

 

 

After hearing about the arrest of Wiek, Police Major-General Swake

Pinsinchai, commander of the Thai Royal Forestry Police, speeded to

Petchaburi provincial court and personally bailed out Edwin Wiek from the

court jail. During his appearance in court Major-General Swake told the

judge he felt the charges against Edwin Wiek were fabricated and of

political motivation. Major-General Swake paid 100,000 Baht in cash to set

bail for Wiek.

 

 

 

The Wildlife Friends Rescue Center has been operating for almost four years

and has rescued over 500 protected animals since its opening in May 2001.

Besides the animals housed at the center, the Wildlife Friends have released

a large number of animals back to the wild and relocated scores of animals

to official government facilities and royal projects. The DNP has in the

past made use of the facilities offered by the rescue center and even last

month handed over 6 more primates for medical treatment at the centers'

quarantine unit, Thailand's only such facility.