Thungyai Sanctuary boss has proven record in taking on big fish in fight against illegal hunting

A portrait of accused poacher and construction tycoon Premchai Karnasuta is displayed beside vendors of T-shirts during Sunday's exhibition on forest protection at the Bangkok Art & Culture Centre. (Photos by Thiti Wannamontha)

"Hard times create heroes," they say. That would be a perfect description of the position which the latest chief of the western Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary in Kanchanaburi, Wichien Chinnawong, finds himself in after the recent events at the park.

His actions leading to the arrest of the country's top construction tycoon Premchai Karnasuta, president of SET-listed Italian-Thai Development Plc, and his friends on charges of illegal wildlife hunting, were welcomed by members of the public. The finding of a rare black Indochinese leopard carcass, in particular, provoked calls for severe punishments to be meted out to those involved in the poaching.

InquiryLines, published bi-weekly on Mondays is a Bangkok Post column to present in-depth details of a range of issues from politics and social interest to eye-catching everyday lives.

On the afternoon of Feb 4, Mr Wichien, the 38-year-old chief, was informed by his staff that a group of four people had set up a makeshift camp in a prohibited zone inside the sanctuary.

These zones are off limits to the public as they are the main habitat for wildlife in the sanctuary.

Forest officials had initially warned Mr Premchai's group that they should not be there, but, upon receiving drunken rebukes, decided to monitor the situation from a distance for the time being.

Not long after leaving the immediate area, Mr Wichien said his officials heard the sound of a gun shot. The rangers returned to the camp site and conducted a search in which they found a hook hidden in a plastic pipe. It is against the law to bring any hunting tools into the forest, Mr Wichien said.

Mr Premchai and his group were told to leave but refused, claiming that it was getting dark and it was not safe to move out.

Mr Wichien said his forest officials noticed that a person was missing from the group. Soon after, they heard a second shot fired and started searching for its source.

Half an hour later, the forest officials apprehended the missing individual, Thani Thummat, a 56-year-old resident of Kanchanaburi, allegedly in the act of preparing to shoot a squirrel in a tree. They also found some animal organs hidden in a plastic bag under some stones by the creek.

Mr Wichien was summoned and he and his rangers conducted a search of the group's campsite. A dead grey pheasant and barking deer carcasses -- all of which are protected list under the Wildlife Conservation and Protection Act -- were found along with a pile of weapons and bullets.

The group was taken to the sanctuary's office for questioning while forest officials continued their search.

It was at this point, late in the evening, that the Indochinese leopard carcass was discovered.

All four men were subsequently arrested on nine charges, including illegal wildlife hunting.

According to records kept by the forest officials, Mr Premchai said, in a statement taken on Feb 6, that he had come from Bangkok to visit the wildlife sanctuary and admitted the weapons and bullets belonged to him. He also acknowledged the rules and regulations for travelling inside the sanctuary.

"If they had followed our advice to leave, we would never have known that they came here to hunt. Our officials became suspicious when they refused and that's what ultimately led to their arrest," Mr Wichien said.

Since graduating from the Faculty of Forestry at Kasetsart University in 2003, Mr Wichien has a proven track record in the suppression of wildlife and natural resources crime.

A woman walks past a display in the shape of a black leopard skin at the Bangkok Art & Culture Centre exhibition on forest protection.

In 2013, when Mr Wichien was the chief of Pa Phu Si Than Wildlife Sanctuary in Mukdahan, he confiscated a bayong tree from illegal loggers and also pressed a poaching charges against a local chief. Last year, he took legal action against a provincial politician whose property encroached on over 160 rai of the Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary.

He says he was shocked by what happened this month as he did not believe anyone would be foolish enough to ask for special permission to visit the park and then abuse that privilege so blatantly by hunting the animals there.

Mr Wichien now admits that visitors will have to be screened more thoroughly in light of recent events.

Pressing charges against the country's top construction tycoon is not something that has caused him to lose any sleep, though. He says he confident that every action taken by he and his staff was legal and in keeping with procedures designed to protect the sanctuary.

Mr Wichien said he is determined to look after Thailand's natural habitat.

"I have been assigned to protect and preserve this world heritage wildlife sanctuary, which is a great honour. No matter what happens, I will continue to do my best to preserve its fertility and value to the people,'' he said.

However, he said people should not praise him alone, as he has over 200 staff who also work tirelessly to protect and preserve Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary.

Everyone on the team, he added, are friends and have the best interests of the forest at heart.