A slight majority of people are of the opinion that the current legal penalties on poachers of wildlife are already adequate, according to the result of a survey carried out by National Institute of Development Administration, or Nida Poll. According to the existing law, those found to have poached wildlife in restricted areas are liable to a jail term not exceeding five years or a fine of not more than 50,000 baht or both. Asked about their confidence in agencies responsible for suppressing wildlife poaching and trespassing in wildlife reserves, 19.04% said they have a lot of confidence in them; 31.04% said they are fairly confident in them; 36.96% said they have little confidence and 11.60% have no confidence in them at all. On ways of tackling these issues, 54.32% of respondents suggested that the law should be strictly enforced, while 33.60% said the people's awareness of forest and wildlife conservation should be promoted. Asked whether they are confident that law will be enforced equally on the Thai people, 68.88% of the respondents said "no"; 27.84% said "yes"; and 3.28% were uncertain or had no comment.

Source: Bangkok Post February 11, 2018 02:37 UTC