SURAT THANI: Police have arrested two men for illegal possession of gibbons which were allegedly forced to roam along beaches on the resort island of Samui where tourists were touted to pay money for taking photos with the animals.
A video clip of a man holding a gibbon while walking along the crowded Chaweng beach, looking for customers was recently posted online by Facebook user Arkadiy Kulev, who branded the act as "torture".
The growing dissatisfaction of the exploitation prompted police, led by acting Bo Put police chief Pol Col Thongchana Hankitti, to raid two homes on the island yesterday where they found two men believed to be involved in the business.
Ismael Thalang, a resident from Ranong province, was nabbed in his home along with his two-year-old gibbon, which was also seized as evidence.
Reportedly, the 35-year-old suspect admitted he was the man seen in the video clip, which has gone viral on the internet.
A search at the other home, located in a community near Suratthani Rajabhat University, led to a man named Rueangwit Aonoi, 23, also from Ranong.
He owned two gibbons, aged eight months and two years.
Investigators charged the men with possession of gibbons without permission.
The officers plan to take the three gibbons off the island to a wildlife breeding centre in Phang Nga where they will receive care.
This was not the first time such an incident has been reported on the island, Thanaphon Uthaiwan, a general manager at a hotel, said yesterday.
Officers previously launched crackdowns but the wrongdoings only "disappeared temporarily before making a return", he said, adding the acts have hurt tourism.
According to Mr Thanaphon, many tourists were concerned over hygiene and feared the gibbons would spread diseases. Moreover, some who could not stand the animals roaming freely posted their complaints online.
Meanwhile, at Chaweng beach, another two men were found engaging in a similar trade yesterday. Instead of walking with gibbons, each of them held an iguana.
