Activist lines Premchai up in his sights

Environmental activist Sasin Chalermlarp will launch a campaign to pressure police to speed up their probe into the wildlife poaching case involving construction tycoon Premchai Karnasuta.

Mr Sasin wrote on his Facebook page that March 4 will mark a full month since Mr Premchai and other three suspects were charged with poaching. Mr Sasin, president of Seub Nakhasathien Foundation, wrote that he wondered why the four have not been brought to justice.

“Why are suspects who are poor people prosecuted very quickly, while those who are influential figures are treated differently? This, I think, points to the need to revamp the criminal procedure code,” he wrote.

Mr Sasin said he would jump-start a campaign to follow up the police investigation into the poaching case to make sure wrongdoers would be brought to justice as soon as possible.

He said the public have become restless about the way police are dealing with this matter.

People were already critical of police when they withdrew animal torture charges against Mr Premchai and the other suspects.

A Facebook page called “Khon Anurak” (environmentalists) shared Mr Sasin’s Facebook post along with its own message saying: “The wildlife was killed a month ago and Mr Premchai still lives a comfortable life at home.”

Mr Premchai, 63, president of ItalianThai Development Plc, and the three other members of his hunting party have all denied the allegations.

They were arrested on Feb 4 in a nocamping zone in the western part of the Thungyai Naresuan wildlife sanctuary, a world heritage site in Kanchanaburi, after they were found in possession of carcasses and skins of protected wild animals.

These included a rare black Indochinese leopard pelt reportedly riddled with bullet holes, a Kalij pheasant and a barking deer, as well as three long-barrelled guns and ammunition.

The four suspects were released by the court after they posted bail of 150,000 baht each. They are due to appear in court on March 26.