Growing Up With Big Cats In My Library Books
Growing up, one of my favourite things to do was to sit with a book about wildlife and marvel at the animals in it. I was drawn to big cats more than anything else, and especially those of the Indochinese region. The Indochinese tiger. The Indochinese leopard. The clouded leopard. Animals that existed in the forests of Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, places that felt impossibly far away when you are a kid in Britain staring at a photograph in a library book.
Years later, I moved to Thailand. And one afternoon, riding my motorbike through the mountains on Route 106, the road that climbs from Thoen in Lampang Province through dense forest and over the ridgeline to Li in Lamphun, I saw a leopard cat. A real one. A small, spotted wild cat, about the size of a domestic cat, sitting at the edge of the road and watching me pass. It was there for maybe three seconds. And it was one of the best moments of any trip I have ever taken anywhere.
I tell you this because of what I am about to tell you next. And because the difference between what that moment meant to me and what the following story reveals about the people who run this country made me angrier than almost anything else I have covered on this site.
The Night Of February 4th 2018
On the night of February 4th 2018, a team of park rangers in one of the most protected forests on earth walked into a campsite and found something that would make headlines around the world.
A skinned black panther. A pheasant. A barking deer. Three rifles. Ammunition. Cooking equipment. And a pot of soup made from the panther’s tail.
Sitting in the middle of it all, surrounded by carcasses and guns, was one of the richest men in Thailand.
His name is Premchai Karnasuta. And what happened after that night tells you more about how Thailand really works than any government report or tourism campaign ever will.
Who Premchai Karnasuta Actually Is
Premchai Karnasuta is not some minor figure. He is, or was, the president of Italian-Thai Development, one of the largest construction companies in Thailand. The company built Suvarnabhumi Airport. It built the BTS Skytrain. The MRT subway. The Purple Line. The Orange Line. Sections of the Thai-Chinese high-speed rail project. Laem Chabang port. If you have ever flown into Bangkok, taken a train across the city, or driven on a motorway, there is a good chance his company built it.
Forbes listed him among Thailand’s 50 richest people. His net worth was estimated at a minimum of 240 million dollars. His company was valued at over a trillion baht. He was president of Italian-Thai Development for decades, and a director of more than 55 other companies in Thailand and overseas.
This is not a man who needed to eat a panther. This is a man who could eat at any restaurant on earth. And he chose to go into a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the middle of the night, shoot an endangered animal, skin it, and cook it into soup. Because he could. Because in Thailand, when you are rich enough, there is nothing you cannot do. Or so he thought.
Thung Yai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary
Thung Yai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary is not just any national park. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in western Thailand, protected for its rare flora and fauna. It contains 77 percent of the large mammals found in the entire region. Elephants. Tigers. Leopards. It is one of the most ecologically significant forests in continental Southeast Asia.
Camping is prohibited. Hunting is prohibited. Carrying weapons is prohibited. The sanctuary is protected under Thai law and international convention.
Premchai went in anyway. With his driver, a hunter, and his personal cook. They set up a camp deep in the restricted zone. They brought rifles, shotguns, ammunition, and cooking equipment. They shot a black Indochinese leopard, commonly known in Asia as a black panther, skinned it, salted the pelt, and cooked the tail into soup. They also killed a Kalij pheasant and a barking deer. Both protected species.
When the rangers arrived at 2am and found the campsite, Premchai’s wife later told reporters: “He loves nature.”
The Ranger Who Earned 200 Pounds A Month And Refused The Bribe
The man who led the raid was Wichian Chinnawong, the chief of the western section of Thung Yai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary. He was 37 years old. His salary was 9,000 baht a month. That is about 200 pounds. He tracked the group to their campsite, found the carcasses and the weapons, and arrested them.
He did not know who Premchai was. He said later: “I didn’t think he would be some famous big CEO.” It didn’t matter. He arrested them anyway.
And then Premchai offered him a bribe.
According to the official account, while being detained at a building near the campsite, Premchai said: “If you release me, I’ll give you anything you want.” Eight people were present. The voice was clearly heard. Wichian recorded the encounter on a 20-minute audio file and submitted it as evidence.
Wichian did not take the bribe. He pressed charges. And from that moment, his life changed. He became a national hero. “The Black Cat Will Not Die For Free” became a protest slogan. Graffiti of the panther appeared across Bangkok. Students drew pictures of him. Artists painted his portrait. A princess posted a message of encouragement. The United Nations recognised him for wildlife protection.
But people also feared for his safety. Thailand has a history of people who stand up to the powerful disappearing. And as a final indignity, police investigated Wichian for waiving a 110-baht entry fee, about two pounds fifty, for Premchai’s group, which had claimed to be on a research trip. The man who arrested a billionaire poacher was threatened with discipline for not collecting a fee that wouldn’t buy you a coffee in Bangkok.
That is Thailand. The ranger earns 200 pounds a month, refuses the bribe, does the right thing, and is investigated. The billionaire shoots a panther, eats it, tries to buy his way out, and posts bail of 150,000 baht, less than a night at one of his hotels.
The Mansion And The African Ivory
The story should have ended there. It didn’t. It got worse.
Three days after the arrest, police searched Premchai’s mansion in Bangkok. They found 43 rifles, pistols, and shotguns. More than 1,600 rounds of ammunition. And four elephant tusks, each about a metre long, worth millions of baht.
His wife claimed the tusks were a family inheritance from domestic elephants. Genetic testing proved they were from African elephants, a species whose ivory is illegal to possess in Thailand. But the Criminal Court acquitted Premchai, his wife, and an associate of the ivory charges. The court found that his wife “had no intention to conceal” the tusks. Forty-three guns and illegal African ivory in a mansion, and nobody intended anything.
Photographs also surfaced of Premchai posing in front of the pelt of a protected tiger. Nobody was charged for that.
The Trial That Took Nearly Four Years
The case took nearly four years to reach a final verdict. That is four years for a man who was caught at 2am surrounded by dead animals and guns in a place where he was not allowed to be.
In March 2019, the lower court convicted him. But it acquitted him of possessing the panther carcass, the centrepiece of the entire case. That charge was applied only to the other men. The sentence was 16 months.
In December 2019, the Court of Appeal increased the sentence.
In December 2021, the Supreme Court issued the final verdict. Three years and two months in prison. A fine of 2 million baht, about 45,000 pounds, to be shared among the defendants. For killing an endangered animal in a UNESCO World Heritage Site and trying to bribe the officials who caught him.
Two million baht. For a man whose company was valued at a trillion.
One of his accomplices, the hunter Thanee Thummat, died of cancer before the Supreme Court verdict was delivered. He never served a day.
How Premchai Actually Served His Prison Sentence
A three-year sentence sounds like justice. It wasn’t.
Premchai actually served one year, ten months, and nine days. He was released seven weeks before the end of his sentence. The reason given was diabetes. He was exempted from wearing an electronic ankle monitor because the device would “aggravate wounds on his ankles.” On release, he was picked up by his lawyers and driven directly to Bumrungrad Hospital, one of the most expensive private hospitals in Bangkok.
His wife had already petitioned the Justice Minister to allow him to be treated outside prison during his sentence. The Corrections Department stated that “all inmates are treated in accordance with human rights principles” and that “there are no privileges for any particular group of people.” Critics compared his treatment to that of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who spent his own prison sentence on the 14th floor of Police General Hospital.
A man who earns minimum wage in Thailand and commits a crime serves his time in one of the most overcrowded prison systems in the world. Thailand ranks sixth globally in prison population. A billionaire who killed an endangered species in a World Heritage Site served less than two years in conditions that bore no resemblance to what an ordinary prisoner experiences. He walked out of prison and into a luxury hospital. And his company carried on receiving government contracts as if nothing had happened.
The SAO Building Collapse Of March 2025
And then it happened again.
On March 28, 2025, a magnitude earthquake centred in Myanmar shook Bangkok. A 33-storey building under construction in the Chatuchak district, the SAO headquarters, collapsed. Ninety-two people died. The building was being constructed by a joint venture between Italian-Thai Development and a Chinese partner.
Investigators found structural flaws in the core lift shaft. Substandard concrete. Substandard steel. The design violated safety standards. Premchai and sixteen others were charged with felony professional negligence causing death. The charge carries a potential life sentence.
He was denied bail. But within hours he was transferred to the prison hospital. Then to the Corrections Department Hospital for “more comprehensive care.” He was placed in a separate medical observation area, not a regular cell. His family delivered his personal medication. He had rice porridge for breakfast.
Ninety-two people died in a building his company built. And the system’s first instinct was to make sure he was comfortable.
The Real Question About How Thailand Works
Premchai Karnasuta shot an endangered panther and cooked it into soup. He tried to bribe the ranger who caught him. Police found 43 guns and illegal African ivory at his mansion. He was convicted and served less than two years in conditions most Thai prisoners would not recognise. He was released early, excused from monitoring, and driven to a luxury hospital. His company continued receiving government contracts. And then a building his company built collapsed and killed 92 people. And the system put him in a hospital bed and brought him his own medicine.
And the man who stopped him, the ranger who tracked him through the forest at 2am, who found the carcasses, who refused the bribe, who recorded the evidence, who pressed charges against the most powerful person he had ever encountered, earned 9,000 baht a month. Two hundred pounds. He was investigated for not collecting a two-pound-fifty entry fee. And he said something that should be carved into the wall of every courthouse in Thailand:
“When someone with money does something wrong and is arrested, they should be treated according to the law the same as any other citizens.”
That is the Thailand that could exist. A country where a man who earns nothing stands in the dark and does the right thing against a man who has everything and has never had to.
The question is whether anyone in power is listening. Because the ranger went back to work on 9,000 baht a month. And Premchai went to a private hospital. And the panther is still dead. And so are 92 people. And the contracts keep coming.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Premchai Karnasuta?
Premchai Karnasuta is the president of Italian-Thai Development, one of the largest construction companies in Thailand. Forbes listed him among Thailand’s 50 richest people with a net worth of at least 240 million US dollars. His company was valued at over a trillion baht and built Suvarnabhumi Airport, the BTS Skytrain, the MRT subway, the Purple Line, the Orange Line, sections of the Thai-Chinese high-speed rail project, and Laem Chabang port. He is a director of more than 55 other companies in Thailand and overseas.
What happened in the Thung Yai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary case?
On the night of February 4th 2018, park rangers led by Wichian Chinnawong raided a campsite deep in the Thung Yai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in western Thailand. They found Premchai Karnasuta, his driver, a hunter, and his personal cook. The campsite contained a skinned black Indochinese leopard (black panther), a Kalij pheasant, a barking deer, three rifles, ammunition, cooking equipment, and a pot of soup made from the panther’s tail. All hunting and camping in the sanctuary is prohibited under Thai law and international convention.
What did the ranger Wichian Chinnawong do?
Wichian Chinnawong, the 37-year-old chief of the western section of the sanctuary earning 9,000 baht a month (about 200 pounds), tracked the group to the campsite, arrested them, refused a direct bribe offer from Premchai, and recorded the bribe attempt on a 20-minute audio file submitted as evidence. He became a national hero, with the slogan “The Black Cat Will Not Die For Free” appearing across Bangkok. He was later investigated by police for waiving a 110-baht entry fee for Premchai’s group, who had claimed to be on a research trip.
What did police find at Premchai’s Bangkok mansion?
Three days after the arrest, police searched Premchai’s mansion in Bangkok and found 43 rifles, pistols, and shotguns, more than 1,600 rounds of ammunition, and four elephant tusks each about a metre long worth millions of baht. His wife claimed the tusks were a family inheritance from domestic elephants. Genetic testing proved they were from African elephants, whose ivory is illegal to possess in Thailand. The Criminal Court acquitted Premchai, his wife, and an associate of the ivory charges, finding that his wife “had no intention to conceal” the tusks.
What sentence did Premchai actually receive?
In December 2021, the Supreme Court of Thailand issued the final verdict. Three years and two months in prison. A fine of 2 million baht (about 45,000 pounds) to be shared among the defendants. He actually served one year, ten months, and nine days. He was released seven weeks before the end of his sentence on the grounds of diabetes, exempted from wearing an electronic ankle monitor on the grounds that it would “aggravate wounds on his ankles,” and on release was driven directly to Bumrungrad Hospital, one of the most expensive private hospitals in Bangkok.
What was the SAO building collapse of March 2025?
On March 28, 2025, a magnitude earthquake centred in Myanmar shook Bangkok. A 33-storey building under construction in the Chatuchak district, the SAO headquarters, collapsed. Ninety-two people died. The building was being constructed by a joint venture between Italian-Thai Development (Premchai’s company) and a Chinese partner. Investigators found structural flaws in the core lift shaft, substandard concrete, and substandard steel. Premchai and sixteen others were charged with felony professional negligence causing death, a charge carrying a potential life sentence. Within hours of being denied bail, he was transferred to the prison hospital and then to the Corrections Department Hospital for “more comprehensive care.”
What does the Premchai case tell us about Thailand?
It tells us that the Thai legal system operates one set of rules for the people with money and a completely different set for the people without it. The ranger earning 200 pounds a month who refused the bribe was investigated for missing a 2.50-pound entry fee. The billionaire who killed an endangered species in a UNESCO World Heritage Site, possessed illegal African ivory and 43 firearms, tried to bribe the arresting officer, and whose company later constructed a building that collapsed killing 92 people, served less than two years and was driven from prison to a luxury private hospital. His company continued receiving government contracts throughout.
Sources
- Bangkok Post (Feb 7, 2018) — Thai PBS airs audio clip of the arrest, “phu yai will settle this”
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1409066/thai-pbs-airs-audio-clip-of-thungyai-arrest - Khaosod English (Feb 9, 2018) — Ranger says Premchai offered bribe, waived 110-baht fee
https://www.khaosodenglish.com/featured/2018/02/09/forest-ranger-poacher-premchai-offered-bribe/ - Bangkok Post (Feb 2018) — Wichien may face action for waiving entry fees
https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/crime/1410030/wichien-may-face-action-for-waiving-entry-fees - Bangkok Post (Feb 9, 2018) — Ex-parks official who helped Premchai also worked for ITD
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1410186/another-itd-connection - Bangkok Post (Feb 18, 2018) — “Resigning is for quitters” column on the phu yai system
https://www.bangkokpost.com/life/social-and-lifestyle/1413987/resigning-is-for-quitters - BenarNews (Mar 14, 2018) — Tycoon faces poaching charges, African ivory at mansion
https://www.benarnews.org/english/news/thai/thailand-wildlife-03142018170841.html - Bangkok Post (Mar 2018) — New bribery charge, Wichien’s recording used as evidence
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1428739/new-bribery-charge-against-premchai - Khaosod English (Mar 19, 2019) — Lower court verdict: 16 months, acquitted of panther charge
https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/crimecourtscalamity/2019/03/19/black-panther-verdict-premchai-sentenced-to-16-months-in-jail/ - Khaosod English (Jun 11, 2019) — 1-year sentence for bribery, 20-minute audio recording as evidence
https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/crimecourtscalamity/courts/2019/06/11/premchai-sentenced-to-jail-for-bribery-in-black-panther-case/ - Bangkok Post (Apr 2020) — Tycoon gets appeal in panther case
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1891220/tycoon-gets-appeal-in-panther-case - Bangkok Post (Dec 2021) — Premchai’s poaching case approaches final ruling, timeline of Feb 4 2018
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2227499/premchais-poaching-case-approaches-final-ruling - BenarNews (Dec 8, 2021) — Supreme Court final verdict, ITD valued at 1.1 trillion baht
https://www.benarnews.org/english/news/thai/tycoon-sentenced-12082021160110.html - Khaosod English (Dec 8, 2021) — Supreme Court guilty ruling, 2yrs 14mo, Thanee died of cancer
https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/crimecourtscalamity/2021/12/08/premchai-found-guilty-in-black-panther-ruling-sent-to-jail/ - Bangkok Post (Oct 17, 2023) — Panther-slaying tycoon wins early release, 7 weeks before end of sentence
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2666011/panther-slaying-tycoon-wins-early-release - Khaosod English (Oct 17, 2023) — Released after 1yr 10mo 9 days, no ankle monitor due to diabetes
https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/2023/10/17/premchai-is-not-required-to-use-em-after-releasing-from-prison/ - Bangkok Post (Oct 18, 2023) — Released from prison, driven directly to Bumrungrad Hospital
https://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/easy/2666496/panther-killing-tycoon-wins-early-release - Bangkok Post (May 15, 2025) — Arrest warrants for Premchai and 16 others over SAO collapse
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/3026486/arrest-warrants-issued-for-premchai-16-others-over-sao-building-collapse - Associated Press (May 16, 2025) — Premchai surrenders on wheelchair, 92 dead, denied bail
https://www.npr.org/2025/05/16/nx-s1-5400280/bangkok-earthquake-building-collapse-karnasuta - Bangkok Post (Aug 2025) — Prosecutors indict 23 including ITD and China Railway No.10
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/3082990/prosecutors-indict-23-in-bangkok-building-collapse - Nation Thailand (Nov 27, 2025) — Premchai released on 1.5M baht bail in SAO collapse case
https://www.nationthailand.com/news/general/40058854
