Five poachers were sentenced yesterday to nearly five years in jail after they were found near the Thai-Myanmar border cooking tiger meat.
One year after the five men were arrested for killing and cooking Bengal tigers at a campsite in Kanchanaburi province, the Thong Pha Phum Provincial Court convicted them of killing wildlife and sentenced them to four years and nine months in prison.
The hunters were also fined THB11,000 each, but their fines were reduced by half to THB5,500 for their confessions.
The five men were identified as Supachai Charoensub, Chorhang Panarak, Kukua Yindee, Ratchanon Charoensub, and Cho Aye.
In January 2022, they used a cow carcass to lure tigers in the Thong Pha Phum National Park, where they killed two of the big cats and cooked them. Among the items seized from the site were two Bengal tiger pelts, four firearms and nearly 30 other illegal items.
The men were convicted of weapons charges including shooting guns inside a national park, as well as hunting and killing protected wild animals.
Apart from the fine, the quartet was also ordered to pay THB750,000 (US$22,000), plus 5% interest per year, to the Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation for the damage caused.
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