(Thailand) Animal torturers face tough new sentences

[Guest guest]

http://nationmultimedia.com/2006/08/20/national/national_30011494.php

 

Sun, August 20, 2006

 

DRAFT LEGISLATION

Animal torturers face tough new sentences

 

Offenders risk up to five years in jail or Bt100,000

fine under proposed law

 

People who torture animals or fail to provide adequate

welfare for animals in their care could be punished by

a jail term ranging from six months to five years or a

fine of Bt10,000 to Bt100,000.

 

Newly drafted legislation proposes much tougher

sentences than the current penalties of up to one

month in jail and/or a Bt1,000 fine under articles 381

and 382 of the criminal law.

 

The legislation - initiated by the Thai Society for

the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (TSPCA) and

Mahidol University's faculty of veterinary science,

and reviewed by the Lawyers Council of Thailand -

covers domesticated, wild, commercial and laboratory

animals.

 

Thailand's first so-called animal welfare and torture

prevention law was revealed on Friday to animal

welfare advocates, legal experts and the media.

 

Animal torture was for the first time defined in

detail. It includes beating, burning, forcing animals

to overwork or perform a function not suitable to type

and condition, neglecting them when sick and raising

them in tight spaces, causing pain or death.

Abandonment, eating live animals, tying them up for

long periods and forcing them to fight each other were

also listed as torture.

 

Animal torturers would face a maximum penalty of two

years' imprisonment and/or up to a Bt40,000 fine,

while those running a business using animals without

permission would face up to a five-year jail term

and/or a Bt100,000 fine.

 

The legislation allows animal slaughter only in

certain cases - such as consumption within a family,

for religious rites, or killing by law - and it must

be done with a method deemed the least painful. Those

breaching the law would face up to six months in jail

and/or a Bt10,000 fine.

 

The legislation ensured animal welfare based on the

" five freedoms " guideline, said Assoc Prof Panthep

Ratanakorn, dean of Mahidol University's faculty of

veterinary science. These were freedom from hunger and

thirst, freedom from discomfort, freedom from pain,

injury or disease, freedom to express normal behaviour

and freedom from fear and distress.

 

Those failing to give good welfare to animals under

their supervision would face a maximum one-year jail

term and/or a Bt20,000 fine.

 

Officers would also be given greater authority to

arrest violators and seize evidence according to

criminal law. This would prevent officers from failing

to do their duty and people from obstructing the

officers' work, according to Jesada Anucharee of the

Lawyers' Council of Thailand.

 

The legislation also allows the court to order

first-time offenders with good backgrounds to

undertake social service in animal welfare-related

work instead of receiving criminal punishment.

 

Other details include the establishment of a national

animal welfare committee chaired by the agriculture

minister to supervise policy and planning for animal

protection, plus provincial-level committees to

oversee the implementation of the law in their

jurisdiction.

 

A fund to support animal welfare would also be

established within the Livestock Development

Department, while the department's director-general

would be authorised to endorse the establishment of

animal-welfare centres nation-wide.

 

The new law would also permit the registration of

local and international organisations to let them

assist in implementing the law, be financially

supported by the state and participate in various

committees, according to Jessada.

 

The next step is to organise public hearings about the

legislation in the next three or four months, said

TSPCA secretary-general Sawan Saengbunlung. They also

plan to get 50,000 signatures in support of the

legislation.

 

Sawan said he would soon meet the Agriculture Ministry

to discuss pushing the Livestock Development

Department's animal legislation that had been rejected

by Parliament for inclusion in the new legislation, to

help accelerate it being passed into law.

 

Premyuda Boonroj

 

The Nation

[Guest guest]

 

It is nice that more and more countries are framing Animal Welfare Laws,which

shows the level of awareness towards those who has been Exploited by human

beings for their selfish intrests.

We should hope that more and more countries will follow.

Brst wishes,

Dr.Sandeep K.Jain India

 

On Sun, 20 Aug 2006 Masako Miyaji wrote :

>http://nationmultimedia.com/2006/08/20/national/national_30011494.php

>

>Sun, August 20, 2006

>

>DRAFT LEGISLATION

>Animal torturers face tough new sentences

>

>Offenders risk up to five years in jail or Bt100,000

>fine under proposed law

>

>People who torture animals or fail to provide adequate

>welfare for animals in their care could be punished by

>a jail term ranging from six months to five years or a

>fine of Bt10,000 to Bt100,000.

>

>Newly drafted legislation proposes much tougher

>sentences than the current penalties of up to one

>month in jail and/or a Bt1,000 fine under articles 381

>and 382 of the criminal law.

>

>The legislation - initiated by the Thai Society for

>the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (TSPCA) and

>Mahidol University's faculty of veterinary science,

>and reviewed by the Lawyers Council of Thailand -

>covers domesticated, wild, commercial and laboratory

>animals.

>

>Thailand's first so-called animal welfare and torture

>prevention law was revealed on Friday to animal

>welfare advocates, legal experts and the media.

>

>Animal torture was for the first time defined in

>detail. It includes beating, burning, forcing animals

>to overwork or perform a function not suitable to type

>and condition, neglecting them when sick and raising

>them in tight spaces, causing pain or death.

>Abandonment, eating live animals, tying them up for

>long periods and forcing them to fight each other were

>also listed as torture.

>

>Animal torturers would face a maximum penalty of two

>years' imprisonment and/or up to a Bt40,000 fine,

>while those running a business using animals without

>permission would face up to a five-year jail term

>and/or a Bt100,000 fine.

>

>The legislation allows animal slaughter only in

>certain cases - such as consumption within a family,

>for religious rites, or killing by law - and it must

>be done with a method deemed the least painful. Those

>breaching the law would face up to six months in jail

>and/or a Bt10,000 fine.

>

>The legislation ensured animal welfare based on the

> " five freedoms " guideline, said Assoc Prof Panthep

>Ratanakorn, dean of Mahidol University's faculty of

>veterinary science. These were freedom from hunger and

>thirst, freedom from discomfort, freedom from pain,

>injury or disease, freedom to express normal behaviour

>and freedom from fear and distress.

>

>Those failing to give good welfare to animals under

>their supervision would face a maximum one-year jail

>term and/or a Bt20,000 fine.

>

>Officers would also be given greater authority to

>arrest violators and seize evidence according to

>criminal law. This would prevent officers from failing

>to do their duty and people from obstructing the

>officers' work, according to Jesada Anucharee of the

>Lawyers' Council of Thailand.

>

>The legislation also allows the court to order

>first-time offenders with good backgrounds to

>undertake social service in animal welfare-related

>work instead of receiving criminal punishment.

>

>Other details include the establishment of a national

>animal welfare committee chaired by the agriculture

>minister to supervise policy and planning for animal

>protection, plus provincial-level committees to

>oversee the implementation of the law in their

>jurisdiction.

>

>A fund to support animal welfare would also be

>established within the Livestock Development

>Department, while the department's director-general

>would be authorised to endorse the establishment of

>animal-welfare centres nation-wide.

>

>The new law would also permit the registration of

>local and international organisations to let them

>assist in implementing the law, be financially

>supported by the state and participate in various

>committees, according to Jessada.

>

>The next step is to organise public hearings about the

>legislation in the next three or four months, said

>TSPCA secretary-general Sawan Saengbunlung. They also

>plan to get 50,000 signatures in support of the

>legislation.

>

>Sawan said he would soon meet the Agriculture Ministry

>to discuss pushing the Livestock Development

>Department's animal legislation that had been rejected

>by Parliament for inclusion in the new legislation, to

>help accelerate it being passed into law.

>

>Premyuda Boonroj

>

>The Nation

>

>

>

>

>

>For more information on Asian animal issues, please use the search feature on

the AAPN website: http://www.aapn.org/ or search the list archives at:

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>Please feel free to send any relevant news or comments to the list at

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>