Thai PM orders stork cull
2004-07-12 10:54
Bangkok - Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra on Friday ordered the culling of wild storks which he said were responsible for two fresh bird flu outbreaks in the kingdom.
"These latest outbreaks of bird flu were caused by storks which are very difficult to eradicate, but I have ordered the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to quickly cull all storks," Thaksin told reporters.
The culling of the birds was to begin immediately, he added.
Last week Thai officials confirmed two outbreaks of bird flu in a poultry farm in Ayutthaya province and in homegrown chickens in Pathum Thai province, both in central Thailand north of Bangkok, but insisted that the outbreaks were under control.
Thaksin conceded that environmentalists were likely to protest the move to eradicate the birds, but he stressed that public health took precedence over wildlife as the country moved to contain the potentially deadly virus.
"Whoever wants to protest is welcome, but I have to consider the overall status of the country."
Thailand's confirmation of bird flu followed new cases in China and Vietnam. The three countries were among the worst hit of the 10 Asian nations affected by the winter outbreak that killed eight people in Thailand and 16 in Vietnam.