PETA "Thai Monkeys Exploited, Chained to Pick Fruit"
Thailand Ministry of Commerce Refutes, "Trained in Non-Cruel Ways"
An international animal protection organization claimed that some monkey facilities in Thailand abuse monkeys for coconut harvesting, but the Thai government has rebutted this. Photo by PETA website capture.
[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Bong-ju] As a claim by an international animal protection organization about 'abuse of monkeys harvesting coconuts in Thailand' has sparked signs of a boycott movement against Thai coconut-related products, the Thai government has come forward to refute it.
According to the Bangkok Post on the 6th, the Thai Ministry of Commerce denied the animal protection group's claim that monkeys are subjected to forced labor on coconut farms and announced plans to invite diplomatic delegations to directly verify the situation.
Bunyarit Kalayanamit, Deputy Minister of Commerce, stated that the monkey owners have never abused the monkeys and that the monkeys are trained in non-cruel ways to pick coconuts.
Deputy Minister Bunyarit said, "We are ready to have diplomatic delegations visit coconut farms to see firsthand how the monkeys harvest coconuts," adding, "They will realize that the alleged animal abuse by the animal protection group is not true."
He also explained that he instructed commercial attach?s at Thai embassies abroad to explain this to companies participating in the boycott in their respective countries.
He further said that operators of monkey training schools do not catch wild monkeys but raise them from birth and train them to pick coconuts once they grow up.
Earlier, the international animal protection organization PETA released a report on the 3rd claiming that Thailand uses monkeys to harvest coconuts through unethical methods.
PETA asserted that monkeys are captured from the wild as infants, chained, and exploited by being forced to climb coconut trees to pick fruit.
The video released by PETA showed monkeys chained to old tires, screaming, or confined in narrow cages.
PETA reported that many monkeys go mad due to stress caused by abuse.
The video also included a farm official's statement that removing the monkeys' canines allows them to be controlled until death, implying that monkeys' canines have been removed for forced labor purposes.
PETA said it shared the investigation results with related companies over the past several months, and about 15,000 stores in Europe, the United States, and other regions have decided not to sell Thai coconut products linked to forced monkey labor.
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