Zambian arrested on charges of overstaying visa, animal cruelty
Thai immigration police have arrested a Zambian man for allegedly overstaying his visa and committing cruelty against his dog following a Facebook post that sought help for the dog.
Immigration Bureau acting chief Pol Lt-General Sompong Chingduang held a press conference at the bureau on Friday to announce the arrest of Wachisa Sikwese, 27.
Sompong said Sikwese was arrested shortly after Watchdog Thailand (WDT) spotted a Facebook post that sought help for an abused Siberian Husky dog at the Avenue Beach Condo on Bang Na Garden Soi 10 in Tambon Bang Sao Thong in Samut Prakan province.
A resident of the condominium building in Bang Sao Thong district had posted a message at 8.46am on July 13 that a foreigner had beaten up a Siberian Husky dog and injured it, causing it to howl in pain.
WDT officials then led police from the Bang Sao Thong Police Station and Samut Prakan’s immigration office to check the condominium where they found Sikwese.
Sompong said Sikwese has two Siberian Husky dogs. The hind legs of the female one, which is four months old, were broken while the male one, which is eight months old, was not injured.
The man said the female dog bit him and damaged the power adaptor of his laptop computer so he punched it.
Sompong said when police checked, they found that Sikwese had entered Thailand on July 5, 2013 to study at a university and he was allowed to stay until March 11, 2018. He was found to have overstayed his visa for 489 days.
The two dogs were handed over to the WDT for rehabilitation and adaptation while the Zambian was charged with overstaying his visa and animal cruelty.
Police will also summon the owner of the room, who faces a fine for not reporting to immigration officials that he had rented his room out to a foreigner.
