Post by Soutpeel on Jun 6, 2016 17:31:27 GMT 7
Officials Hunt for Abbot of Tiger Temple
KANCHANABURI — The hunt is on for the longtime abbot of the Tiger Temple after he vanished in the wake of raids which discovered evidence implicating the now shuttered tourist attraction in wildlife trafficking.
Monks at the Tiger Temple told officials abbot Phra Visuthisaradhera, aka Luangta Chan, left the complex May 29, one day before more than 1,000 officers and personnel arrived to seize its 137 tigers in a seven-day operation that led to the discovery of frozen tiger cubs, a hoard of other wildlife kept secretly and evidence suggesting commercial products were made there from endangered animals.
While allegations follow the temple occupied its land illegally, police have yet to seek a warrant for the abbot’s arrest or accuse him of any specific crime. The only figures subject to criminal action so far are five people charged with the illegal trade and possession of protected species.
“We arrested two disciples and one monk who tried to leave the temple in a pick-up truck, and two other monks were implicated,” said the deputy chief of Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.
www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.php?newsid=1465194280&typecate=06§ion=
KANCHANABURI — The hunt is on for the longtime abbot of the Tiger Temple after he vanished in the wake of raids which discovered evidence implicating the now shuttered tourist attraction in wildlife trafficking.
Monks at the Tiger Temple told officials abbot Phra Visuthisaradhera, aka Luangta Chan, left the complex May 29, one day before more than 1,000 officers and personnel arrived to seize its 137 tigers in a seven-day operation that led to the discovery of frozen tiger cubs, a hoard of other wildlife kept secretly and evidence suggesting commercial products were made there from endangered animals.
While allegations follow the temple occupied its land illegally, police have yet to seek a warrant for the abbot’s arrest or accuse him of any specific crime. The only figures subject to criminal action so far are five people charged with the illegal trade and possession of protected species.
“We arrested two disciples and one monk who tried to leave the temple in a pick-up truck, and two other monks were implicated,” said the deputy chief of Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.
www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.php?newsid=1465194280&typecate=06§ion=
