Phuket authorities have proposed the Immigration Police to revoke the visa of the Swiss national, Mr. Uhr Fehr, accused of kicking a female doctor when she was sitting on the beach steps outside his rented villa in Phuket.
He thought she and her friend trespassed on his property but the concrete steps were later found to encroach on the public land on Yamu beach and was demolished on Tuesday. His action sparked outcry among local residents. At the police station, he showed the photo of his injured foot as he claimed that he had fallen over the stairs and did not have the intention to kick the doctor.
Deputy Phuket governor Sattha Thongkham on Tuesday chaired a meeting of all relevant units and forwarded an urgent letter to the Immigration Chief of Phuket province to consider revoking the Swiss man’s visa as he poses danger to society or likely to cause harm, endangering public peace and order.
The deputy governor also ordered an in-depth investigation into the case of the Swiss national, Mr. Uhr Fehr and his business as he runs an elephant camp in Phuket and is a president of an elephant conservation foundation.
The investigation will look into any possible links between his elephant camp business and the foundation and whether the non-profit foundation may be misused to seek benefits for his elephant camp business.
There were allegations of mistreatment and neglect of the elephants, as reported by former employees and elephant owners who had previously leased the elephants to his elephant camp to serve tourists.
An elephant owner provided information through the media that the elephant camp did not take care of the elephant when it fell ill but instead drove it out and terminated the employment.
If any misconduct is found based on the information, further actions will be taken, possibly including the withdrawal of the elephant camp and foundation licenses.
Meanwhile, the Green Sanctuary Elephant Park, owned by the Swiss man in Thalang District remains open as normal with foreign tourists using the services. Officials will conduct further inspections of the elephant camp area to determine if there is any encroachment on forest areas. If any violation is found, further legal action will be taken. (TNA)
