A Myanmar national has been sentenced to 15 days in prison in Thailand on animal abuse charges after he was filmed repeatedly throwing a puppy into the sea, an animal welfare organisation said.
Thi Ha Aung, 19, sparked outrage in the country after a video of him throwing a puppy into the sea in late 2023 went viral on social media.
He told police that he and his friend were at a beach in the southern province of Chumphon when he caught a dog and threw it into the sea. He said the two of them were drunk at that time.
The Chumphon Provincial Court sentenced him to 15 days in prison without parole, according to Watchdog Thailand Foundation (WDT), an animal welfare non-governmental organisation, according to The Nation.
The immigration bureau said it has revoked the visa of the Myanmar national and was preparing to deport him back after the conclusion of his sentence.
The disturbing video of the incident showed the black puppy desperately struggling to swim back as the man laughed as he hurled it back again and again into the deep waters.
The dog reportedly survived the assault.
WDT then shared a wanted message on its Facebook page for the man and filed a police complaint against him for animal torture.
The Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau tracked him, who surrendered and confessed that he was the person who threw the dog.
The man apologised to the people and asked for forgiveness for his “reckless” behaviour which was influenced by his friend filming the video.
Last year, a Thai drama faced investigation and boycott calls over the allegation of animal abuse after a cat was shown convulsing on the ground.
Activists accused the makers of “The Empress of Ayodhaya” of sedating the cat to show it has been poisoned and eventually died in the episode.
Television channel One31 said in a statement that the cat was sedated for the scene and that its owner was present. The sedation was done under the care of experts from an animal modelling agency, according to The Bangkok Post.