A man convicted of hunting protected giant Asian river frogs in Khao Sok National Park in Surat Thani has been sentenced to electronic monitoring in lieu of prison.
The provincial court gave the man a two-year suspended jail term and ordered him to report to probation officers eight times and perform 48 hours of community service, said Prasarn Mahaleetrakul, chief of the Department of Probation.
The man was also prohibited from entering the national park in Surat Thani for a period of 30 days after pleading guilty to possession of illegal firearms and ammunition. He was also ordered to wear an electronic monitoring device.
Probation officers said the use of the tracking device would ensure that the prohibtion on entering the national park could be enforced.
The department initiated the use of tracking devices for selected convicted offenders since Jan 1. A total of 495 offenders, 467 males and 28 females, have been ordered to wear the devices. Of the total, 335 have since had the devices removed while 160 are in the process of being fitted with the bracelets, said Mr Prasarn.