The massacre of temple dogs in southern Thailand in the wake of the rabies fear frenzy is not only cruel and sad, it also reflects state authorities' mindset that violence is the way to eliminate perceived enemies.
Despite insistence from state authorities that they would not resort to "set zero" the population of stray dogs -- meaning killing them all -- to stop the outbreak of rabies this year, what is happening on the ground is heart-rending -- and maddening.
Thanks to a viral video clip on social media, the public got to see a group of livestock officials collecting dead dogs from a mass poisoning at Wat Khao Pridi in Thung Song district, Nakhon Si Thammarat province. The video also shows an official begging for "understanding" amid angry curses and cries from the woman who took the video. His group later frantically fled the scene.
