
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has set aside a 19-million-baht budget to repatriate an ailing Thai elephant called Sak Surin from Sri Lanka next month, according to minister Varawut Silpa-archa.
The male elephant was one of three Thailand sent as goodwill ambassadors to the South Asian nation in 2001. According to a complaint by Rally for Animal Rights & Environment, the elephant has been mistreated for years.