NARATHIWAT — Over 200 Thai Muslims departed for a religious pilgrimage to the Saudi Arabian city of Mecca today, despite ongoing tension between the Thai and Saudi governments.

A total of 577 pilgrims from Thailand’s three Muslim-dominated southern border provinces – Narathiwat, Yala, and Pattani – are scheduled to participate in the holy pilgrimage this year, officials said. 

Islamic faith requires that all Muslims make a pilgrimage to Mecca, known as a "Hajj," at least once in their lifetime. 

Gen. Udomdej Sitabutr, sec-gen of the military junta's National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), presided over a ceremony that bade farewell to the pilgrims before they left Narathiwat Airport for Medina, Saudi Arabia this morning.

The trip is funded by the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre (SBPAC) as part of an effort to improve the relationship between Thai authorities and local Muslims in Thailand’s Deep South, which is home to a hotbed of Islamic insurgent violence that has killed more than 5,000 people in the past decade.

A number of Muslim leaders in Thailand previously expressed concern that Thai Muslims might be barred from taking up the Hajj due to a recent diplomatic row between Saudi Arabia and Thailand. 

Abdulelah Al-Sheaiby, the Saudi Arabian embassy’s Charge d’Affaires, was recalled from his post in July, four months after Thailand’s Criminal Court found five Thai police officers not guilty of abducting and murdering a Saudi businessman who went missing in Bangkok in 1990.

Mr. Al-Sheaiby's deputy, Abdulsalam Alenazi, told Khaosod English that the recall was ordered to express the Saudi government’s disapproval of the verdict and the court’s last-minute change of judges. He added that Saudi officials have not decided when, and if, Mr. Al-Sheaiby will return to Bangkok.

The Saudi government imposed restrictions on travel and business dealings between the two kingdoms in the 1990s to protest Thailand's stalling investigation into the abduction of the Saudi businessman, Mohammad Al-Ruwaili.

However, Mr. Alenazi, who is now serving as the head of Saudi Arabian Embassy in Bangkok, confirmed that the Saudi Arabian government will not alter the existing agreement between the two kingdoms that allows Thai Muslims to participate in the pilgrimage to Mecca. 

"Hajj is one thing that we don't touch," Mr. Alenazi told Khaosod English last week. 

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SONGKHLA – A combined task force of military and police officers in Songkhla province have vowed to take action against elephant handlers who bring elephants into urban areas to help beg for money from tourists.

The elephant handlers, known as mahouts, bring the animals into Hat Yai’s shopping districts to persuade tourists to buy sugar cane for the animals, said  Pol.Col. Passakorn Klanwan, commander of Hat Yai Police. He believes that four groups of mahouts in the Hat Yai area are involved in the business. 

According to Edwin Wiek, the founder of the Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand (WFFT), mahouts can earn several thousand baht a day from this practice.

Pol.Col. Passakorn said he has also received reports that some of the elephants are abused by their handlers, citing a video that recently surfaced online showing two men beating an elephant on the streets of Hat Yai.

This morning, police and military officers raided an elephant enclosure near Kaew Sawang village, where they found one elephant that was reportedly used by the mahouts to beg for money downtown.

A woman in the village identified herself as the owner of the elephant and provided ownership documents to the police. Pol.Col. Passakorn said the documents are genuine, but police are still investigating the case to determine whether any illegal actions have been committed.

Pol.Col. Passakorn explained that it is difficult to prosecute the mahouts because they appear to have genuine ownership of the animals. "We can only arrest and fine them for causing annoyance to tourists and obstructing traffic," the officer said.

He added, "We will cooperate with related agencies to investigate [the cases]. If we find any illegal action, we will take legal actions right away."

There are currently no laws protecting animal welfare in Thailand, although a proposed bill is receiving “fast-track” consideration from the National Legislative Assembly.  

Mr. Wiek, the founder of Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand (WFFT), said he is hopeful that the new bill will be passed.

“Now that the military has taken over we are seeing very positive signs that they – especially Gen. Prayuth – are really in favor of protecting elephants," Mr. Wiek said, referring to Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, the army chief who led a coup on 22 May and is now the country's new Prime Minister. 

Thailand is known as a hub for animal tourism, with abundant opportunities for tourists to pay to interact with animals like tigers, elephants, and gibbons. Yet, according to animal welfare groups like WFFT, many of these captive animals are physically mistreated and some of them have been taken by poachers from the wild.

Mr. Weik says there are currently between two and three thousand "working" elephants in Thailand.

“There are enough laws to stop this,” Mr. Weik said. "It’s the negligence of government officials that make people do this and get away with it.” 

SONGKHLA – A combined task force of military and police officers in Songkhla province have vowed to take action against elephant handlers who bring elephants into urban areas to help beg for money from tourists.

The elephant handlers, known as mahouts, bring the animals into Hat Yai’s shopping districts to persuade tourists to buy sugar cane for the animals, said  Pol.Col. Passakorn Klanwan, commander of Hat Yai Police. He believes that four groups of mahouts in the Hat Yai area are involved in the business. 

According to Edwin Wiek, the founder of the Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand (WFFT), mahouts can earn several thousand baht a day from this practice.

Pol.Col. Passakorn said he has also received reports that some of the elephants are abused by their handlers, citing a video that recently surfaced online showing two men beating an elephant on the streets of Hat Yai.

This morning, police and military officers raided an elephant enclosure near Kaew Sawang village, where they found one elephant that was reportedly used by the mahouts to beg for money downtown.

A woman in the village identified herself as the owner of the elephant and provided ownership documents to the police. Pol.Col. Passakorn said the documents are genuine, but police are still investigating the case to determine whether any illegal actions have been committed.

Pol.Col. Passakorn explained that it is difficult to prosecute the mahouts because they appear to have genuine ownership of the animals. "We can only arrest and fine them for causing annoyance to tourists and obstructing traffic," the officer said.

He added, "We will cooperate with related agencies to investigate [the cases]. If we find any illegal action, we will take legal actions right away."

There are currently no laws protecting animal welfare in Thailand, although a proposed bill is receiving “fast-track” consideration from the National Legislative Assembly.  

Mr. Wiek, the founder of Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand (WFFT), said he is hopeful that the new bill will be passed.

“Now that the military has taken over we are seeing very positive signs that they – especially Gen. Prayuth – are really in favor of protecting elephants," Mr. Wiek said, referring to Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha, the army chief who led a coup on 22 May and is now the country's new Prime Minister. 

Thailand is known as a hub for animal tourism, with abundant opportunities for tourists to pay to interact with animals like tigers, elephants, and gibbons. Yet, according to animal welfare groups like WFFT, many of these captive animals are physically mistreated and some of them have been taken by poachers from the wild.

Mr. Weik says there are currently between two and three thousand "working" elephants in Thailand.

“There are enough laws to stop this,” Mr. Weik said. "It’s the negligence of government officials that make people do this and get away with it.” 

BANGKOK — Conservative activist Veera Somkwamkid and seven others were released from military custody this morning, three days after they were arrested for violating the junta’s ban on public demonstrations.

Mr. Veera and the other demonstrators were detained by security forces near Victory Monument on 24 August for campaigning to overhaul Thailand’s energy sector. Thailand's military junta banned public protests shortly after declaring martial law three months ago. 

Mr. Veera is a well-known ultra-nationalist activist who recently returned to Thailand after spending nearly four years in a Cambodian prison for trespassing across the border during his campaign to "reclaim" the territory around Cambodia's Preah Vihear temple. 

Mr. Veera and the seven other "Partnership for Energy Reform" activists were released this morning without charges.

Although authorities insist that the ban on public protests applies to all political causes, all 48 individuals who face criminal charges for violating the ban were arrested for participating in anti-coup demonstrations, according to data gathered by iLaw. 

None of the activists participating in recent anti-Israel, pro-death penalty, or anti-American demonstrations have faced legal prosecution. 

Shortly after he was released from custody this morning, Mr. Veera resumed his role at the helm of the energy reform movement by joining a public panel discussion at the Army Club about the group's demands for "taking back" the PTT, the state oil enterprise that is partially owned by the private sector. 

Although the "Partnership for Energy Reform" group has a variety of goals, such as opposition to coal power plants and demands for cheaper energy prices, the nationalisation of the PTT has been its primary agenda. 

Today's panel was also joined by Buddha Issara, the Buddhist monk and conservative activist who actively campaigned against the previous government. 

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