Ter info.
Onderstaand bericht kreeg ik binnen via David Hardgreaves van http://www.tigertempletruths.org/
Tiger Temple Truths has just received some important news via email from Edwin Wiek, the conservationist currently battling with the Tiger Temple in both legal and civil court cases concerning the animal abuse and illegal tiger trading taking place at the Tiger Temple.
Originally, founder of the Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand (WFFT) Edwin Wiek was due to appear in court for the legal case on June 28th - this is now won’t be happening…
The prosecution lawyer has asked the police to extend the investigation further, due to evidence being uncovered that proves the tigers at the Tiger Temple are officially government property, after being confiscated by the Thai Department of National Parks several years ago.
Basically, the tigers at the Tiger Temple are not their property - they belong to the Thai government, who understandably are furious about the negative publicity the Tiger Temple is generating, and the fact that the Tiger Temple has been illegally using confiscated tigers to profit from.
It seems that the prosecutor fighting on the side of the Tiger Temple is growing increasingly uneasy as the evidence against the Tiger Temple is shown to him. With official DNP (Department of National Parks) documentation being included as evidence, the Tiger Temple have the right to be very worried!
We have learnt that the Director General of the DNP has ordered a ban on the movement of tigers from the Tiger Temple, effectively ensuring the halt of illegal trading - whether the Tiger Temple will adhere to this or ignore the DG’s order remains to be seen.
The Director General is also now considering whether to remove the tigers from the temple completely. There are facilities within Thailand that it would now be possible to move the tigers to, so this may be an option, although a decision on this matter is likely to take time.
With positive progress in the legal case between conservationists and the Tiger Temple, we now look at the civil case - a case brought against Edwin Wiek and a Thai newspaper who printed Mr Wiek’s statements on the Tiger Temple.
Mr Wiek stated in the newspaper that the Tiger Temple was involved in animal abuse, the illegal trading of tigers and that they offered no benefit to conservation - all claims he can support with evidence.
The Tiger Temple was originally suing Mr Wiek and the newspaper in Thai court for very large sums of money - money that might have ended up funding the forthcoming Pattaya branch of the Tiger Temple. Perhaps realising they have opened a can of worms, however, the Tiger Temple have now dramatically backed down, instead requesting an official apology from the newspaper and some free advertising. From Mr Wiek, the Tiger Temple would like an apology.
This is quite a change in direction. We suspect that due to the evidence mounting up against them, the Tiger Temple are looking for a quick and quiet conclusion to this civil case, hoping to brush the issues under the table, but that will not be happening.
Mr Wiek has exclusively told Tiger Temple Truths that this requested apology will not be given. Having ample evidence to back up his claims, apologising for publicising the truth and for stating the facts is not a route that will be taken, and Mr Wiek is determined to push this case as far forward as possible.
Kind Regards,
David Hargreaves
Tiger Temple Truths