BANGKOK, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- A powerful construction mogul in Thailand accused of poaching in a wildlife sanctuary on Friday was charged with illegal possession of firearms, the tenth charge he has been facing within a month.
Thai police filed the charge on Premchai Karnasuta, president of Italian Thai Development Plc, after officials confirmed that six of 43 firearms seized from his house were illegal.
According to local reports, the illegal guns, including a homemade one and different kinds of rifles, were unregistered or with unlawful licenses, which were not allowed to be in possession.
The construction tycoon and three other men were charged with poaching a leopard, panther and other endangered animals in a national park in western Thailand on Feb. 5.
Premchai, 63, were caught with hunting weapons and carcasses including a body of a pheasant, a muntiacini deer, a skinned and salted black panther skull in a camp.
Police pressed nine charges relating to poaching and trespassing on the four. They've all denied the charges.
The four have been summoned for the first time on Feb. 15, but Premchai failed to turn up. As ordered to show up on Thursday to acknowledge the charges, Premchai declined to meet police again, claiming he was far too busy to attend.
Police said they would seek warrants for their arrest if they failed to report to police on March 5.
Poaching is punishable by up to 10 years in prison in Thailand.
The case has drawn widespread fury in Thai society. Right groups are asking people to apply pressure on this case on social media.
