Patong takes different approach to dog killings

PATONG: Following the recent announcement by Phuket Municipality that it has launched a month-long drive to kill stray dogs, the Mayor of Patong, Pian Keesin, has told the Gazette that his town, too, is targeting strays, though its approach is somewhat different. “You see, Patong has a lot of tourists,” he explained. “If the officers want to kill stray dogs, they do not announce it; they just kill the dogs silently, at night. If the officers announce it to everyone, they will [face opposition from] NGOs or foreigners who love dogs.” In Patong, stray dogs are safe from the shooters during the high tourist season. Outside that period, said Mayor Pian, officers will go out with their poison dart guns whenever people report a problem with strays in their area. As in Phuket Town, the dogs are shot in the street and the corpses are then buried near the incinerator at Saphan Hin.