Officials drug stray dogs for visit of PM Prayut in Sing Buri

Photo via สำนักงานประชาสัมพันธ์จังหวัดสิงห์บุรี

Animal rights activists and Thai netizens were outraged after learning stray dogs in the central province of Sing Buri were drugged so that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha could visit the area without any drama.

PM Prayut visited Sing Buri on Monday, October 24, to check the province’s flood situation and offer his support to victims affected by the floods. The PM visited 10 households in the Mueng district by boat and continued to Pikun Thong Temple by car to meet locals in the Tha Chang district.

One reporter from Thairath posted a video of a stray dog ​​wobbling along the street at Pikun Thong Temple on Twitter, claiming that the dog had just awoken after being doped for the PM’s visit.

The video went viral and Thai Twitter users criticised those responsible. Thai netizens said the visits of politicians should not be a burden on locals or the animals. Some commented that drugging dogs was too much and unacceptable, adding the animals never go near crowds to hurt or annoy anyone.

Other netizens did not believe the claim and condemned the reporter for making up the story to destroy the reputation of the PM and the government.

However, Sing Buri Provincial Livestock Department later admitted that they did anesthetise 11 stray dogs at a nearby temple. The official reported that they did it to keep the dogs safe. The official added that anaesthetising the animals would prevent the dogs from attacking anyone and also keep them from being hurt by people who might feel threatened.

Thairath reported that this is not the first time Thai officials anesthetised dogs just to welcome a politician. Dogs at another temple in Sing Buri, named Wat Phra Non Chak Si Worawihan, were drugged nine years ago in 2013 when former Prime Minister Yingluck Chinnawat visited the temple.

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Petch Petpailin

Petpailin, or Petch, is a Thai translator and writer for The Thaiger who focuses on translating breakingThai news stories into English. With a background in field journalism, Petch brings several years of experience to the English News desk at The Thaiger. Before joining The Thaiger, Petch worked as a content writer for several known blogging sites in Bangkok, including Happio and The Smart Local. Her articles have been syndicated by many big publishers in Thailand and internationally, including the Daily Mail, The Sun and the Bangkok Post. She is a news writer who stops reading news on the weekends to spend more time cafe hopping and petting dwarf shrimp! But during office hours, you can find Petch on LinkedIn and you can reach her by email at petch@thethaiger.com.

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