Karen soldiers hunt wildlife in Kanchanaburi forest

Rangers of the Sai Yok National Park arrest Satu, sitting, a soldier of the Kanren National Union, for alleged poaching in the national park on Wednesday. (Photo from the national park office)

KANCHANABURI: A Karen National Union soldier has been arrested in the Sai Yok National Park in Sai Yok district with bearcat and macaque carcasses, guns and ammunition while two others fled.

Panachakorn Pobundit, chief of the Sai Yok National Park, said on Thursday that a patrol group of park rangers and soldiers found a camp of three KNU soldiers in the Khao Loh forest within the compound of the national park in tambon Wang Krachae at 1.15pm on Wednesday. The location was about 3km from the Thai-Myanmar border.

There, authorities arrested KNU soldier Satu, 26, who was resting on a hammock. Another KNU soldier identified as Sapui jumped off his hammock and ran away. The other KNU soldier, Kora, had left the camp before the encounter.

The officials found 21 smoked pieces of a bearcat, weighing altogether 3kg, and 24 smoked pieces of a macaque with a combined weight of 2kg. They were protected wildlife.

They also seized at the camp a Colt AR-15 automatic rifle with 38 bullets, a Baikal rifle with seven shotgun cartridges and a homemade rifle.

Mr Panachakorn said the KNU soldiers illegally entered the Thai territory and the national park on Tuesday to hunt wildlife for food. The arrested suspect faced several charges at the Sai Yok police station, concerning illegal entry, poaching and possession of wildlife carcasses and weapons.