Kamala official denies stray dogs killings

KAMALA: The Chief Administrative Officer (Palad) of the Kamala Tambon Administration Organization (OrBorTor) has denied claims that his staff have been culling stray dogs.

Sajaphol Thongsom said he had asked the Phuket Livestock Office to move stray dogs from the area around the beach after one bit a tourist, but that the dogs had been sedated and moved to the dog pound at Bang Kanoon.

K. Sajaphol added that just three dogs were involved.

The Gazette contacted the palad after receiving a number of phone calls from people claiming that Kamala OrBorTor officers had been killing dogs.

K. Sajaphol said, “About four weeks ago we got a phone call from a tourist who had been bitten by a stray dog, complaining about the local authority allowing stray dogs to be loose and biting people. The tourist complained strongly about that.

“We injected only three dogs with a sedative and moved them to the dog pound.

“We knew that if we did kill these dogs we would get a lot of complaints from foreigners again, and so we didn’t kill them.”

However, he added, “I don’t think we should always go along with what foreigners say, especially about stray dogs, because this is not their country, and we have to give priority to the safety of tourists.”

K. Sajaphol said that, in the past, he had tried to dissuade one foreigner from feeding strays around Wat Kamala. “There are many Muslim people in Kamala, and their religion makes them wary of dogs,” he explained.

“I told this woman not to feed the dogs because it would attract more of them and that would cause problems.”