Thailand Requires Ivory Registration to Combat Ivory Smuggling from Africa

macro_elephant by Théo is licensed under CC BY 2.0

A new Thailand law requires ivory owners to register their pieces with the government in order to distinguish the amount of locally sourced ivory versus ivory from Africa in The Kingdom, reports The Nation. 

Nipon Chotibal, the director-general of Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP), said the ivory registration will make it easier for the DNP to crackdown the illegal smuggling of African ivory into Thailand.

The new law took effect on January 22 and restricts individuals’ ivory possession to  either two pieces of ivory, or two ivory necklaces or four ivory bracelets, and allows one household to contain only up to 12 ivory pieces, reports The Nation.    

Furthermore, Chotibal said that under the new law, these ivory pieces can only be inherited, not sold, traded, given away or transferred.

Chaninat and Leeds’ attorneys are experts on Thailandinheritance laws and have been assisting clients with probate proceedings in Thailand since 1997.

Owners of locally sourced ivory must register all their elephant tusk pieces by April 21 and owners of African ivory will be able to register within 90 days starting March 14.

For further details, read the full story here.

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‘Drive-By Dog-Shooter’ Surrenders to Thai Police, Charged Under New Animal Welfare Act

“doggie” by Dominik Gubi is licensed under CC BY-NC-NC2.0

A man who allegedly shot and killed a soi dog now faces animal abuse charges under Thailand’s 2014 Animal Welfare Law, according to The Nation.

A video recording captured the “drive-by dog shooting” incident, which happened on January 13 near the Imperial Lat Phrao mall, and didn’t take long to go viral on social media.

The alleged shooter turned himself in to the Thai police, admitting that his car was the one seen in the video but claimed he did not kill the dog, reports The Nation.

Chaninat and Leeds’ Thailand personal injuryattorneys have received sizable recoveries on behalf of our Thai and foreign clients since 1997.

The suspect was charged with killing an animal without any reason under the 2014 Prevention of Animal Cruelty and Provision of Animal Welfare Act, recently enacted in November 2014.

Read the full story here.

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Thailand Makes Animal Abuse a Crime with New Law

“doggie” by Dominik Gubi is licensed under CC BY-NC-NC 2.0

As of November 12, animal cruelty in Thailand is punishable by up to two years in prison and/or a 40,000 baht fine after the Thai government approved the country’s first animal welfare bill, reports the Bangkok Post.

The legal protections extend to domestic pets, animals kept for food, working animals, animals kept for entertainment purposes, wild animals in captivity and animals kept for any other purpose. Additionally it holds owners responsible for an animal’s welfare and living conditions. 

Chaninat and Leeds’ family lawyers are experts on Thai divorce laws for contested and uncontested divorce cases with nationals and foreigners in Thailand.

Co-founder and Vice President of the Soi Dog Foundation, John Dalley, stated in a press release, that the legislation is too vague and “the coming months will indicate whether the authorities are able to enforce the law as it stands now.”

President of the Thai Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Tirapongse Pangsrivongse, also said there need to be further regulations in the law to specify what constitutes animal cruelty. Pangsrivongse also pointed out that people need to be educated on how to prevent cruelty. 

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