Than Khun’ urges the government to take action on the elephant foundation issue, advises ‘Chalermchai’ not to let the drama overshadow the facts, sees fit to investigate the money trail, do not let ‘Pity Marketing’ continue.
Mr. Thanakun Jit-Issara, former Democrat MP for Bangkok, gave an interview about the drama of flash floods that flooded the Elephant Care Center, Elephant Conservation Foundation, Chiang Mai Province, until an elephant died. He said that we have to look at the intention of what they wanted to do. Why is there information that they were still selling tours until the minute they knew the water was definitely coming? If they really wanted to evacuate, he thought they would be in time like other places.
‘Why did all the other camps survive? Then why did elephants die in this camp? We can understand feeling sorry for them later, but these causes can be prevented. Elephants are large animals and need time to migrate. They cannot do it all at once. Moreover, the tools used are different from
other animals. A real response plan should not be like what happened,’ said Mr. Thanakun.
Mr. Thanakun said that from now on, there should be serious measures to register elephants, measures for evacuation and forced evacuation in cases where elephant caretakers are stubborn and refuse to help. The government mechanism should be serious and strict with all animals, not just elephants.
As for whether the income of each foundation should be disclosed or not, Mr. Thanakun stated that it is certainly appropriate. If it is allowed to continue like this, loopholes may be exploited to gain benefits because the foundation is registered or in the name of animal lovers. But in reality, it is an exploitation of animals, which causes losses in many aspects, not just the image of the country.
When asked if there should be any agency to take part in tackling this problem, Mr. Thanakun said that Mr. Chalermchai Sri-on, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, would be a good host. He is an alert person, so he shoul
d be strict, serious, and not let the drama overshadow the facts. We should not allow the commotion of marketing to continue.
Source: Thai News Agency