Phuket Gazette Thailand News: Cat meat trade discovered

– Thailand news selected by Gazette editors for Phuket’s international community

The National News Bureau of Thailand reports that law enforcement officials have apprehended a “transnational” cat smuggler on the border between Thailand and Laos. The miscreant was caught transporting 90 cats into Laos, which he had stuffed into a scant six cages for the duration of the trip.

Though the cross-border trade in stray dogs has long formed a point of contention between Thailand and the world at large, this traffic in cats marks a somewhat fresher foray.

The driver, a Buriram native named Sodsai Amhawa, confessed to running regular shipments of cats across into Laos, from which location they were then smuggled into Vietnam, where they met their fate as “exotic dishes”.

Sodsai reported that he had received THB2,000 to THB3,000 for each of his shipments of cats.

Thai Police are now questioning Sodsai with the goal of gaining more information about the cat smuggling ring of which he is a part.

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— Phuket Gazette Editors