Dog smuggler arrested in North-eastern Thailand

NAKHON PHANOM, December 25 (TNA) - Authorities here on Sunday arrested a man who tried to smuggle 300 dogs across Mekong River to Vietnam, where they were to be sold for human consumption. The authorities apprehended a suspicious boat loaded with the dogs while they were on patrol in the Mekong River in Ban Ta-lad village of Ban Phaeng district. One suspected smuggler identified as Sukan Tanatue was arrested and taken to custody but other smugglers were able to flee the scene. The seized dogs would be kept at Nakhon Phanom provincial animal quarantine station. Demand for dogs in Vietnam is soaring this winter and the price of dogs has gone up sharply from 200-300 baht to 500-800 baht. Dog meat is a delicacy in the South East Asian country and is believed by locals to be a heat-generating food, which helps keeping them warm in the cold weather. (TNA)