Police in Thailand have arrested a woman whose pet lion was pictured going on a joyride in the streets of Pattaya. A video that has now gone viral shows the chained lion cub seated in the back of a white, open-top Bentley.
The lion was being driven about by a Sri Lankan man who has since left the country, and is believed to be a friend of the woman, Sawangjit Kosoongnern.
While it is not illegal to own a lion in Thailand, it needs to be officially registered.
Authorities in Thailand said Ms Sawangjit claimed to have bought the animal from a Thai man in Nakhon Pathom province, who successfully facilitated its delivery to Pattaya.
However he failed to have his facility checked by officials before doing so, which made both the transfer and ownership of the animal illegal.
She is therefore facing charges of possessing a controlled wild animal without permission, which carries a penalty of a year’s imprisonment and a fine of up to 100,000 baht ($2,800; £2,200).
Police were also reportedly looking to charge the Sri Lankan man, who had kept the lion in his rented pool villa, but were unable to as he is no longer in Thailand. He was due to be charged with bringing a controlled wild animal into public places, which carries jail time of up to six months and a fine of 50,000 baht.
The man who sold the lion to Ms Sawangjit will also face charges of moving an animal without permission.
Officials say there are currently 224 lions in Thailand that are legally owned.
Three hundred students from the Northern Province who excelled in all subject streams of the 2023 G.C.E. Advanced Level (A/L) Examination will each receive a grant of Rs. 100,000 from the President’s Fund.
As part of a newly launched initiative to honour high-performing students at the district level for the 2023/2024 G.C.E. A/L Examination, the President’s Fund hosted an award ceremony this morning (22) at the Iranamadu Nelum Piyasa Auditorium in the Northern Province.
During the event, 300 students from the districts of Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Mannar and Vavuniya, specifically 60 students per district, with the top 10 students from each subject stream, were recognised and presented with financial awards for their outstanding academic performance. The President’s Fund has allocated a total of Rs. 30 million for this initiative, which is expected to be extended to all districts in the future.
Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the President, addressed the gathering and noted that following the formation of the new government, the President’s Fund has been restructured and expanded under the leadership of President Anura Kumara Disanayaka. He emphasised that the Fund now operates with increased transparency, correcting past irregularities to ensure benefits are directed to the truly deserving. Dr. Kumanayake also mentioned ongoing efforts to digitise the Fund and decentralise its services to improve accessibility and efficiency.
He further highlighted that education is the key to a successful life and urged the students to take full advantage of the support provided, pursue academic excellence, become responsible citizens and contribute positively to the country’s development. Also addressing the event were Speaker (Dr.) Jagath Wickramaratne and Minister of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources, Ramalingam Chandrasekar.
A vote of thanks was delivered by Abhishek, a student from Jaffna Hindu College, who expressed heartfelt appreciation to the President and the President’s Fund. He described the programme as a valuable opportunity for students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds to pursue higher education and achieve their goals.
In attendance at the ceremony were Northern Province Governor Nagalingam Vethanayahan, Deputy Minister of Cooperative Development Upali Samarasinghe, Members of Parliament K. Ilankumaran, Rajeevan Jeyachandramoorthy and M. Jagadeeswaran, along with other public representatives. Also present were Mr. Roshan Gamage, Senior Additional Secretary to the President and Secretary of the President’s Fund, senior officials from the Fund, government officers, heads of security forces, parents and students.
High Court Judge Manjula Thilakaratne has been appointed as the new Chief High Court Judge of Colombo, following the promotion of Judge Aditya Patabedige to the Court of Appeal.
The Judicial Service Commission also announced the appointment of High Court Judge Navaratne Marasinghe as a Judge of the Civil Appellate High Court.
Additionally, Lanka Jayaratne and Indika Kalingawansa were appointed as Judges of the Colombo High Court.
Assets of two prominent police officers are to be probed after authorities received a number of complaints, highly placed sources in the government say.
One officer in question is a DIG while the other is a SSP, reports add.
The Police Illegal Assets And Property Investigation Division are conducting further investigations.