PETA U.S. Asks State Department to Issue Alert for Travelers to Thailand
In a letter sent to the State Department today, PETA U.S. is asking the agency to post a travel advisory warning tourists that "there is currently a serious safety risk in Thailand" and that videotape footage shows "acts of extreme torture" and "victims ... being bound and dragged into tiny wooden enclosures." There's just one catch: The victims are elephants, not tourists.
PETA U.S. is trying to draw attention to the vicious beatings of baby elephants in Thailand that take place daily at "elephant training camps." Baby elephants are torn away from their mothers, tied down, and beaten with nail-studded planks so severely that they bleed and scream in order to "break" them so that they can be forced to perform tricks for tourists.
"This issue has horrified and deeply moved people all over the world," writes PETA U.S. Director Debbie Leahy in a letter to Maura Harty, assistant secretary of the Bureau of Consular Affairs. "I hope that you will ask that the [b]ureau discuss bringing this matter to the attention of United States citizens."
PETA U.S. has provided Thai officials with proposed laws that would ban cruel training and prohibit the use of this endangered species in amusement attractions. In the meantime, PETA U.S. is urging tourists not to visit Thailand until the government bans the ritualized torture of elephants.
PETA U.S.'s letter to Assistant Secretary Maura Harty follows.
March 13, 2003
Maura Harty, Assistant Secretary
Bureau of Consular Affairs
United States Department of State
Bureau of Consular Affairs
Washington, DC 20520
Dear Ms. Harty:
The following travel advisory has been issued by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), an organization with more than 750,000 members and supporters in the U.S. and abroad in light of disturbing evidence documenting abuse to elephants taking place in Thailand:
SAFETY/TRAVEL ADVISORY:
There is currently a serious safety risk in Thailand, and all potential visitors are strongly advised to read this advisory before finalizing travel plans.
Recent video footage from Northeast Thailand indicates that this region and many other parts of Thailand can be extremely dangerous. Victims have been observed being bound and dragged into tiny wooden enclosures. Babies were separated from their mothers and acts of extreme torture were observed. Infants were beaten with wooden poles imbedded with nails. At one point, a victim was repeatedly stabbed in the head with a curved blade. All the victims were denied food, water, and rest for days and remain captive to this day, forced to work against their will in camps throughout Thailand. It is known that several have been seen in the streets of Bangkok, exhausted and hungry and begging for food and money.
Please visit HelpThaiElephants.com for more information.
This issue has horrified and deeply moved people all over the world and garnered the support of international celebrities. I hope that you will ask that the Bureau of Consular Affairs discuss bringing this matter to the attention of United States citizens via the appropriate page on your Web site http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_1764.html.
We look forward to hearing from you on this matter.
Sincerely,
Debbie Leahy
Director, Captive Exotic Animals
