Thailand police have arrested four suspects for allegedly helping foreign tourists catch rare giant freshwater stingrays in Samut Songkhram. The provincial regulations forbid catching the fish unless it is for research purposes.
Reports said the suspects were arrested on Monday after the officers from relevant agencies in Amphawa District investigated the reports from local people, who saw live broadcasts on Facebook.
Samut Songkhram Provincial Governor Khanchat Tansathian said that he ordered has ordered the Provincial Fisheries Office to file a complaint against the four suspects at Amphawa Police Station. According to him, the people at Samut Songkhram cherish and want to save the endangered giant freshwater stingray.
The police said that the boat was not registered with the Marine Department and those four men did not have a valid driving licence. They added that illegal fishing equipment was recovered from the boat. Preliminary investigation has revealed that three of the suspects had traces of amphetamine in their urine.
One of the suspects said that they were hired by another man called "Boy" to organise the fishing trip for foreign tourists to catch giant freshwater stingray. The suspects claimed that they had permission to catch the stingray for research purposes. However, the officers found that the permission that the suspects claimed they had expired in November 2016.
