Animal rights activists have vowed to follow up on the case of construction tycoon Premchai Karnasuta, who was allegedly caught hunting exotic wildlife in a protected forest area in Kanchanaburi, to ensure his wealth does not give him a get-out-of-jail-free card in a country where powerful elites often escape justice.
The president of Italian-Thai Development Public Co Ltd was apprehended by rangers while in possession of the pelt of a black leopard native to Indochina -- some media have erroneously called it a panther -- and other "trophy" kills at Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary.
He was found at a makeshift campsite with hunting weapons and friends.
Earlier this week Mr Premchai's lawyer told the media that his client had "not fled" Thailand, presumably in response to fears Mr Premchai had followed in the footsteps of two fugitive former premiers, brother and sister Thaksin and Yingluck Shinawatra.
At a seminar Tuesday, the Network of Environment Conservation Student Clubs of Thailand demanded the wealthy tycoon face justice.
The network said it plans to submit petitions to all of the law enforcement agencies in charge of Mr Premchai's case urging them to conduct a serious and transparent investigation within 30 days.
It also vowed to use social media to pressure law enforcers into acting fairly and raise the general public's awareness about the importance of conserving the nation's dwindling wildlife resources.
'"Our long-term target is to see justice being served, so we will follow the progress of this case closely until the end," said Tanayot Srivilairat, a representative of the group.
"However, in the short term we want to educate people about wildlife conservation and correct some misunderstandings shared on social media," he added.
"For example, many people now believe the black leopard that was killed by the poachers was the last one of its kind inhabiting the sanctuary. In fact, it wasn't."
Mr Tanayot said state officials should learn from another incident that occurred 45 years ago in the same forest when a Bell helicopter crashed in Bang Len district of Nakhon Pathom.
The chopper was later found to be full of animal pelts, leading investigators to speculate whether the group of military officers on board, who were all killed in the crash, had been poaching in the area beforehand.
"In that case, a government committee concluded the crashed helicopter had been on a secret mission," Mr Tanayot said. "Some individuals who were camping in Thungyai were blamed for poaching wildlife but no details were ever released to the public.
"The case went to court but nine of the accused were released and only one local poacher was punished. We shouldn't let this kind of thing happen again," he added.
Edwin Wiek, founder of the Wildlife Friends Foundation, urged people to use social media to ensure Mr Premchai also gets his day in court and that justice is meted out.
