The Year of the Dragon, which is this year, is believed to be a tough year for those born in the Years of Dog, Goat and Rabbit. However, every year is a difficult year for animals in Thailand since this country still lacks the law to fight cruelty against animals and better animals' lives. Worse, not all legislators see the importance of having such a law.
Last year, I complained here after seeing a big truck carrying hundreds of dogs heading to a neighbouring country where the eating of dog meat is acceptable. Later, I started seeing the light at the end of the tunnel when authorities in the northeastern province of Nakhon Phanom rescued thousands of smuggled dogs and nabbed dog traffickers in a series of round-ups. However, punishment for those smugglers was not so harsh, ranging from 500-baht fines to short-term imprisonment due to no specific law to protect animals.
Nowadays, more stray dogs have been reportedly tortured or killed by people for crazy reasons or sometimes for no reason at all. I recently heard about a stray dog with sarcoptic mange (canine scabies) in Pathum Thani that was chased and hit by a pick-up truck on Sunday afternoon. The driver apparently intended to do it for fun! With wounded legs, the dog lay on a roadside waiting for help from a dog rescue group for hours.
Sad but true, many more dogs, local, mixed blood and even imported breeds, in Thailand have been abandoned by their owners. Some owners love their pets only when they are young and cute, but desert them when they are old and ill. Last week, I came across an announcement by a man who was looking for a new home for his 10-year-old golden retriever. He claimed that he had to move from a big house to a townhouse, which has limited space for a big dog. Beyond his expectations, no one rushed to adopt his dog. Instead, all of more than 20 respondents tried to convince him to keep the canine. According to them, what that old dog wants is love, not space, and he could die from sorrow if adopted by a stranger. Everyone hoped the owner would change his heart. In another case, an old beagle was dumped by his owner at an animal hospital in Nonthaburi more than a year ago. Until today, he is still waiting in a small cage at the hospital for his owner to return to take him home.
Day after day, I find sad stories about tortured or abandoned dogs and cats, and shed my tears. With my weary heart, I have long hoped Thailand would have a law to combat animal torture and ensure proper care for animals. Unfortunately, the fight for animal rights seems far from over since the Yingluck Shinawatra cabinet last month rejected and returned the draft law to the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives to review.
According to news reports, the issue was widely debated at that cabinet meeting. Science and Technology Minister Plodprasop Suraswadi expressed his worries that the law may allow some people to frame others.
According to him, it is possible for some people to intentionally let their dogs out of their properties to be hit by passing vehicles so that they can demand compensation. He commented that owners who are so poor and have nothing to feed their pet animals should not be legally charged. Deputy Education Minister Sakda Khongpetch feared there would be inadequate budgets and police officers to enforce the law while Public Health Minister Witthaya Buranasiri considered such a law "very new to Thailand" and demanded a careful review. Moreover, Deputy Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Natthawut Saikua wanted the law to exempt animal-related sports and traditions, such as cock-fighting, fish-fighting and rain-seeking parades using cats from legal action.
Whatever these politicians think, animal rights activists do not give up hope but continue to push for the animal protection law. If approved and imposed, the law protects all kinds of animals against torture and requires owners to provide proper care for their animals being raised, transported and used in businesses or shows. Torturing animals is subject to a maximum one-year jail term and/or a maximum fine of 20,000 baht while improperly raising animals or deserting animals is subject to a maximum fine of 20,000 baht. If this law comes true, it will support the efforts to promote people's animal rights awareness and assistance for needy animals in this country. To achieve the goal, animal lovers must work together and make their voices heard by lawmakers. Let's hope Thailand has adequate politicians with long-term vision and compassion who realise the importance of animal protection laws.
Pichaya Svasti is a travel writer for Life section of the Bangkok Post.