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ESSENTIAL DESTINATIONS

MONTH: January/February 2007

Thailand re-examines tiger sale

 

BANGKOK--The Thai National Counter Corruption Commission is reportedly re-investigating the long controversial export in 2002 of 100 tigers from the Sri Racha Tiger Zoo in Chon Buri to a privately owned zoo or tiger farm, depending on definitions, in Hainan, China.

"Ex-forest department chief Plodprasop Suraswadi allegedly delivered those tigers to China without approval from the National Wildlife Protection Committee," wrote Apinya Wipatayotin of the Bangkok Post. "The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment once set up a probe panel to look into the case. The committee later concluded Plodprasop did not commit any offence," but observers were less convinced.

Plodprasop had previously been director general of fisheries, but lost the job amid allegations of corruption. He eventually lost the forest ministry under similar circumstances. He now heads the Chiang Mai Night Safari zoo.

Damrong Phidet, director general of the National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department, on November 6, 2006 halted an exchange of elephants from the Night Safari Zoo for white tigers from the Chime-Long Night Zoo in Guangzhou, China, because the origins of the elephants was insufficiently documented.