Animal group launches call to save seized furballs from auction block
The Thai Animal Guardians Association on Monday called on animal lovers to write to the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB) chief to suspend the auctioning of the six cats seized from a drug-trafficking suspect.
This is after the association’s founder Roger Lohanan failed to negotiate the cats’ release with Pornthip Chaempong, director of Narcotics Control Office Region 2. Also present at the discussion was Chollada Mekratri, founder of the Voice Foundation.
Pornthip said the cats are being looked after by the suspect’s relatives and cannot be transferred without court approval because they are among assets confiscated in a drug-related case.
“The ONCB has given the relatives 15 days to provide information about the origin of the six cats and they will be able to take them over permanently if officials find that the cats were not acquired under criminal dealings,” Pornthip said.
She said that if the relatives fail to provide information about the cats, then their auction date and price will be set at the end of April.
“ONCB wants to sell them as one lot, so they are not separated,” she added.
On March 15, police raided a house in Rayong’s Klaeng district and arrested the occupant Tathep Arun on suspicion of being part of a drug network run by Soradet “Kook Rayong” Sonsiri.
Police confiscated all assets, including the six cats, which will be checked by the Department of Livestock Development before being auctioned off.
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