LAMPANG -Animal Rights Advocates are calling for three teenagers, all aged 14, to be severely punished after they poured gasoline over a disabled stray dog and set it on fire in an abandoned restroom at Wat Phra That Lampang Luang.
They later tried to justify their actions by saying they acted out of excitement and fear, claiming the dog tried to bite them. Community outrage grew after a clip of the incident was posted on social media.
A concerned citizen who saw the video recognized the act as animal cruelty and brought evidence to the Ko Kha Police Station. Officers visited the scene and called the three teens in with their parents. All three admitted to what they’d done.
Police explained their next steps on the Ko Kha police station’s page, confirming the boys had confessed and their parents were involved in ongoing talks.
The boys claimed they saw the dog lying in the restroom while visiting the temple. They said the dog seemed like it would attack, so they siphoned gasoline from a motorcycle, poured it on the animal, and set it alight. They said they didn’t know what happened to it after.
However, the Watchdog Thailand Foundation released photographic evidence confirming that the disabled dog had recently been hit by a car, had a broken back, and was unable to walk before being burned alive — to refute the distorted testimony of three 14-year-old children involved in the incident.
Police stated the act was reckless and reported that the teens would be charged with animal cruelty without a valid reason. Because of their age, the case is being handled under the Juvenile and Family Court Act. Officials scheduled further statements for August 17.
After the Ko Kha Police explained the teens’ version of events on their page, animal lovers flooded the post with comments. Many called for the police to take strict action. Some users asked authorities to drug-test the boys and pressed for proof about what happened to the dog, urging police to keep pushing for answers.
One influencer, Boom Tay Grata, shared a message urging people to demand a proper investigation from Lampang’s Ko Kha Police. He asked for drug testing and more detailed checks, highlighting that witnesses said the dog’s back was broken and it couldn’t walk.
Within hours, the story gained more than 2,000 shares. Concern spread quickly online.
Meanwhile, the original poster of the video reported being threatened in private messages by members of the teenage group, who told him to delete the clip and warned of physical harm.
Netizens rallied to support the poster and called for additional charges, criticizing the teens’ blatant disregard for the law. The case is still under investigation, as calls for accountability continue to grow.
