First Animal Welfare Law in Thailand is Dying!

After an 11-year struggle, Thailand’s first animal welfare legislation, currently pending review and approval by the Decree Office, is in trouble! The Prevention of Cruelty to Animal and Animal Welfare Bill is currently in limbo, and officials need a nudge to get back on track.

The current term of the current Thai government coalition is going to end soon, and concerned Thai activists believe that if the review process of the bill is delayed further, Parliament may not have enough time to act on the bill before the session ends. If that happens, the whole lengthy process will have to be repeated when the next session convenes.

Dedicated local activists—many of whom have been focusing on this issue for more than a decade—are hard at work to make sure that this doesn’t happen! Armed with more than 30,000 petition signatures collected over the past year, they’re planning to speak directly to the Thai parliament at the end of August to ask for immediate consideration of the bill.

The bill makes it a crime for anyone to cause unnecessary suffering to an animal and mandates welfare requirements for animals used in various industries. An English version of the bill can be found here. Without appropriate laws, it’s very difficult to combat cruelty and promote animal welfare. We all have the power to spare animals from suffering by making compassionate choices in our everyday lives, but legislation helps ensure that people who abuse animals are punished appropriately and deters them from doing so again.

You can help by joining PETA Asia’s activist network today. Stay tuned for more updates on the bill and actions to take to get it passed!

Posted by Agnes Tam