Wildlife hunters must face justice

[handdrummer]

He named his new restaurant The Black Panther, this guys got some cojones. May he go bankrupt quickly.

[Lost]

He named his new restaurant The Black Panther, this guys got some cojones. May he go bankrupt quickly.

I'm not certain Lost found his info from a reliable source...

Premchai Steps Down


"The wealthy always dodge justice", said local noodle seller Laak Noodun. "It's just not fair".

"One rule for them, one rule for us", said Chinese entrepreneur Chang Yai, owner of a popular Bangkok beer bar.

"Feed a Thai a dumpling and win their heart."

"...my kill-shot of the endangered leopard. At the time, I believed it was a duck"

Premchai Karnasuta's restaurant 'Black Panther' is scheduled for the big open Jan 7th 2019. For reservations please call 08987655773

[Nereus]

A bit rude really! Unless of course she happens to be a pig as they grow tusks!
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Boffs to test Premchai's wife's tusks


https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/genera ... recent_box

[Nereus]

Court to rule in Premchai black-leopard trial on Tuesday

https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/genera ... on-tuesday

Attention will focus on Thong Pha Phum Provincial Court on Tuesday, when judges will deliver their ruling in the black-leopard poaching trial of construction billionaire Premchai Karnasuta and his associates.

The court, in Thong Pha Phum district of Kanchanaburi, is braced for overwhelming media coverage of this most closely watched case
All four defendants were expected to appear in the court to hear the ruling -- one year, one month, two weeks and one day after their arrest.

Mr Premchai, the boss of Italian-Thai Development Plc, Yong Dodkhruea, Nathee Riamsaen and Thanee Thummat were arraigned by the Office of Public Prosecution Region 7 in April on six charges, acting through prosecutors in Thong Pha Phum.

The charges were filed after the four were arrested by park officials on Feb 4 of last year in the Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary, in Thong Pha Phum, in possession of firearms and the carcasses of a rare black leopard and other protected animals.

Their arrest sparked a public outcry and several rallies against Mr Premchai, including a protest outside the ITD head office in Bangkok.

All defendants denied the charges and fought them in court.

Thong Pha Phum police chief Pol Col Chumphol Leksuntarakorn said on Monday strict controls will be enforced at the court on Tuesday.

Defence counsel Witoon Praiyaem, for Mr Premchai, said his client will arrive at the court at 9am to hear the judgement.

Deputy national police chief Pol Gen Srivara Rangsibrahmanakul on Thursday expressed confidence that the case brought by prosecutors was solid and sufficient to nail Mr Premchai and other defendants.
"We are confident about taking action against Mr Premchai. Police and prosecutors agreed on the indictment submitted to court," the lead investigator in the case said.

Sasin Chalermlarp, chairman of the Seub Nakhasathien Foundation, posted a message on his Facebook account on Monday reminding the public of the ruling due on Tuesday.

"The answer will come tomorrow after we have been kept waiting for one year. We are asking for justice for the black leopard," he wrote.

He also posted on his account on Feb 2, marking the first anniversary of the arrests, that the public were still following the case and were strongly opposed to the defendants' actions in the park last year.

The black leopard case is not the only one against the construction magnate. He and Mr Yong were also indicted on a bribery charge last year, and released. Wichian Chinnawaong, the Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary chief, lodged the petition with the police Counter-Corruption Division.

The court has set June 11 for a ruling on the bribery case.

Mr Premchai, his wife Khannita and another associate, Wandee Somphum, were also indicted for possession of two pairs of African elephant tusks in April last year after a search of his house in Huai Khwang district in February. They also pleaded not guilty.

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[PeteC]

Breaking News

Acquitted concerning the black leopard, 16 months for having a dead pheasant and poaching tools/weapons. More when the story is fully published.

Surely he'll appeal the sentence......

[PeteC]

Here's the full story......


Premchai jailed for 16 months, not guilty of leopard charge
Published: 19/03/2019 at 11:32 AM
Online news: https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/crime/ ... recent_box

KANCHANABURI: Construction billionaire Premchai Karnasuta was sentenced to 16 months in jail for illegal possession of a dead pheasant and weapons, and supporting poaching -- but he was acquitted of any wrongdoing connected with a black leopard carcass found at the scene, which was blamed on other defendants.

The Thong Pha Phum Court gave the ruling on Tuesday morning in the high-profile case, which saw the construction tycoon widely blamed for the killing of a rare black leopard after his group was arrested with the carcasses of protected animals at their unauthorised campsite in the western Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary in Thong Pha Phum district in early February last year.

The 16-month sentence included six months for illegally carrying weapons, eight for supporting poaching and two for possession of a dead kalij pheasant. Premchai was one of four defendants, and the other three took the rap for possessing the black leopard carcass.

Yong Dodkruea was sentenced to 13 months in jail: three months for illegal firearm possession, six months for illegally carrying firearms, and four months for possessing the black leopard carcass. He was acquitted on the charge of illegally collecting forest products.

Nathee Riamsaen was sentenced to four months in jail and fined 10,000 baht for illegally possessing the black leopard carcass, but the jail term was suspended for two years. She was acquitted of illegally possessing and carrying firearms.

Thanee Thummat was sentenced to two years and 17 months in jail: three months for illegal firearm possession, four months for having the leopard carcass, six months for illegally carrying firearms, four months for attempted poaching, one year for poaching and one year for collecting forest products. He was found guilty of all charges.

The court also ordered Premchai and Thanee to pay 2 million baht in compensation related to the case to the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.

The four defendants arrived at Thong Pha Phum court on Tuesday morning for the ruling.

Premchai, 64, director of Italian-Thai Development Plc, Yong, 66, Nathee, 44, and Thanee, 57, and their lawyers arrived at the court in Thong Pha Phum district at 8.10am in two vehicles.

Public prosecutors and Wichian Chinnawong, chief of the western Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary who had arrested Mr Premchai's group early last year, arrived at 9am.

Premchai and the three co-defendants were arrested at their unauthorised camp in the wildlife sanctuary on Feb 4 last year in possession of firearms and the carcasses of protected animals, including a rare black leopard. They denied all the charges.

[caller]

So, released on bail then, pending an appeal.

Pity he didn't cut down a tree, he'd have got longer and no bail, well, at least that's what others get.

[hhinner]

Or shoot a bearcat while being a karen. 7 years, earlier this year.

[Nereus]

Premchai jail term throws up surprises

https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/crime/ ... -surprises

A 16-month jail term handed to construction tycoon Premchai Karnasuta by a Kanchanaburi court for illegal possession of a dead pheasant and weapons, and conspiring to poach wildlife, has drawn a mixed reaction from the public.

He was cleared of any wrongdoing in connection with a black leopard carcass found at the scene.

Mr Premchai remained calm and expressionless as he listened to the verdict being read at the Thong Pha Phum court, according to an eye witness in the courtroom.
Following the hearing, Mr Premchai curtly told media "I am sorry", after being asked for a comment on the case by reporters.(ha ha, I'm sorry I was caught!)

It was the first time Mr Premchai had spoken to the media since he was charged with poaching in Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary in Kanchanaburi province in February last year.

Mr Premchai's lawyer said his client and the other defendants in the case would appeal.

Many comments on social media following the verdict read "justice is served" and "the law of karma".

The ruling came as a surprise to conservationists. "The verdict goes beyond my expectations," Ornyupa Sangkamarn, an environmental trial expert and representative of the Seub Nakhasathien Foundation, a conservation organisation, told the Bangkok Post in a telephone interview.

"I initially thought Mr Premchai would be given suspended jail terms because he doesn't have a criminal record," said Ms Ornyupa, adding that courts have often given suspended terms to first-time offenders.

Sasin Chalermlarp, the foundation president, wrote on his Facebook page that he wondered why the billionaire was acquitted of charges of possession of the leopard's carcass despite the fact that Premchai was present when the leopard's tail was cooked in a pot.

Locals were also surprised by the ruling.
"I believed Khun Premchai would be cleared of all wrongdoing and would walk free because he is a very rich and powerful man," said Teera Puangnoi, a Kanchanaburi resident.

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[Nereus]

Poaching appeal to focus on cat

https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/genera ... cus-on-cat

Prosecutors are confident they can convince the Appeal Court that construction tycoon Premchai Karnasuta was present when a rare black leopard was killed.

The chief prosecutor in the high profile poaching case says his team believe they have enough evidence placing at the scene when the big cat was shot in Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary in Kanchanaburi's Thong Pha Phum district in February last year.

Last month, Mr Premchai was sentenced by the Thong Pha Phum Court to 16 months in jail for the illegal possession of a dead pheasant and weapons, and supporting poaching -- but he was acquitted of wrongdoing in connection with the black leopard, which was blamed on other defendants.

Somchet Amnuaysawasdi, secretary to the deputy attorney-general, who also heads the working group on the black leopard case, said that his team is now in the process of reviewing and studying the Thong Pha Phum Court's ruling. Once it is finished with this task, his team will send an appeal to the higher court highlighting their points of disagreement.

"Based on the evidence we have, we're still confident that Mr Premchai was involved in killing the black leopard and was not merely a supporter as ruled by the court, Mr Somchet told a seminar on "Lessons Learned from the Black Leopard Verdict", hosted by the Sueb Nakhasathien Foundation and its alliances at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre.

He said the court's ruling did not state other important points in the case, especially information about the killing zone. Bullets found on the ground at the scene were matched to a gun owned by Mr Premchai. Meanwhile, DNA samples collected from the carcass of the black leopard and Mr Premchai's faeces will also help place the tycoon at the scene.

Mr Somchet said although Mr Premchai had a personal faeces storage unit at his camp, which his maid usually emptied at a toilet at a nearby camp, a pile of his faeces was found near the scene of the killing which was only 750 metres away from the camp. This could be seen as solid evidence that he was present at the crime scene.(no shit Sherlock!)

The court believed Mr Premchai was not at the crime scene and had nothing to do with the hunter's actions.

[handdrummer]

Check the judges bank acct.

[Nereus]

This will never happen:
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Another year in jail for wildlife hunter Premchai

https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/crime/ ... r-premchai

The Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Case Region VII in Samut Songkhram province on Tuesday sentenced construction tycoon Premchai Karnasuta to one year in jail for trying to bribe park rangers when he was arrested in a wildlife sanctuary in February 2018.

The court based the ruling on witness testimony that Premchai, 64, told arresting park rangers he would give them whatever they wanted if they set him free.

The court stated that the one-year sentence would be added onto a 16-month jail term handed down by a Kanchanaburi court in connection with a wildlife poaching case in the Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary in Kanchanaburi's Thong Pha Phum district where he was arrested.

Yong Dodkruea, 66, the other defendant in the bribery case, was acquitted. Although his voice appeared in a 20-minute-long audio recording, the conversation took place on a separate occasion, concerned general matters and was not connected to Premchai's attempted bribe, the court ruled.

Premchai was released on bail of 200,000 baht. He said he would appeal.
Wichian Chinnawong, the chief of the western Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary who arrested Premchai and three followers in February last year, was also at the court but did not speak to reporters.

Premchai, president of Italian-Thai Development Plc, and the three co-defendants were arrested at their unauthorised camp in the wildlife sanctuary on Feb 4 last year in possession of firearms and the carcasses of protected animals, including a rare black leopard.

[Nereus]

Premchai sentenced to six more months in jail

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... hs-in-jail

The Criminal Court on Tuesday sentenced Premchai Karnasuta to six months in jail for illegal possession of guns and rejected his request for suspension.

The construction tycoon was previously sentenced to two years and four months for poaching and bribery.

In the latest case, public prosecutors told the court that the president of Italian-Thai Development Plc was found on Feb 7 last year with the unauthorised possession of three rifles, a musket and three rifle bullets at his residence in Huai Khwang district, Bangkok.

On May 1 last year he denied the charge but last month he confessed to it. Given the confession, the court commuted the jail term from one year to six months.
Earlier released on bail of 200,000 baht, Mr Premchai was at the Criminal Court to hear the ruling on Tuesday.

His lawyer filed a request with the court proposing that he would enter the monkhood for 15 days, donate 3 million baht to charity and stay away from guns for the rest of his life in exchange for the court giving him a light punishment or suspending the sentence.

The court told him that he could do the good deeds for himself but it could not accept the proposal because he was convicted in two other criminal cases by the Thong Pha Phum Court and the Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Case Region VII.

The cases concerned poaching and bribery in theThungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary in Thong Pha Phum district of Kanchanaburi early last year, and resulted in a combined jail term of two years and four months.

Mr Premchai was seeking bail with the Criminal Court.

Premchai, 64, and the three others were arrested at their unauthorised camp in the Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary on Feb 4 last year in possession of firearms and the carcasses of protected animals, including a rare black leopard.

Three days later authorities searched his residence in Bangkok and found numerous firearms and elephant tusks, resulting in the arraignment that led to Tuesday's sentence.

[migrant]

Finally a "big wig" gets a prison sentence...maybe

Now where is that red bull lad

[Nereus]

Dept vows to appeal Premchai acquittal

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... l#cxrecs_s

The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation has vowed to appeal Tuesday's court verdict acquitting construction tycoon Premchai Karnasuta and his wife of illegal ivory possession.

"We need to acquire and provide firm evidence [of guilt] to the Appeal Court," said Sompoch Manee­rat, the department's spokesman.

"The point is that the defendants falsely de­clared possession of the Afri­can ivory and that is against the law," he added.

The Criminal Court on Tuesday acquitted Premchai, 65, president of Italian-Thai Development Plc, his wife Khanitta, 65, and an associate Wandee Somphum of illegal possession of two pairs of African elephant tusks.

Ms Khanitta insisted the tusks were part of a family inheritance, and the court found the defendants had no intention to conceal the tusks as charged.

The trial stemmed from a search of Premchai's home on Soi Sun Wichai 3 in Huai Khwang district, Bangkok, on Feb 7 last year, which turned up the tusks along with 43 guns and ammunition.

Tuesday's verdict was the first bit of good news for Premchai since he was arrested on Feb 4 last year in Kanchanaburi's Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary, where he was found with firearms and the carcasses of protected animals, including a rare black leopard.

In August this year, the Criminal Court sentenced the construction tycoon to six months in prison for illegally possessing firearms.

He also received a one-year jail term after being found guilty of trying to bribe park rangers following his arrest in the wildlife sanctuary, located in Thong Pha Phum district.

In March, Premchai was given a 16-month jail sentence for crimes connected to poaching in the wildlife sanctuary.

Premchai is currently appealing these convictions.