Bangkok: “Suchart” sits at the head of the table to discuss the best and fastest way to bring Thai elephants from Sri Lanka back to Thailand. The headline news is generating ratings. Mr. Suchart Chomklin, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, chaired a meeting to negotiate the return of the Thai elephant, a goodwill ambassador from the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, to Thailand. Representatives from civil society networks and relevant agencies, including the Thai Elephant Reclaiming Group, the Elephant and Environment Foundation, the Department of South Asian, Middle East and African Affairs, the Royal Thai Embassy in Colombo, the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, the Forest Industry Organization, and the Zoological Park Organization of Thailand, took place in the 20th-floor conference room of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

According to Thai News Agency, the meeting received information on the well-being of two Thai goodwill ambassador elephants, ‘Plai Pratu Pha’ and ‘Plai Srinarong,’ from the Thai Elephant Reclaimers group. They also discussed negotiations for the gentle return of the two elephants to Thailand, which would benefit both countries. A working group will be established to conduct this work, chaired by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and vice-chaired by the Director-General of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation. This will ensure the best possible negotiations and the swift return of the two elephants to Thailand.