Thai Khac Thanh is a facing six-year jail sentence for selling silver pheasants
On August 12, lawyer Le Hong Hien from Le Hong Hien & Associates, Hanoi Bar Association, confirmed he would defend Thanh in the upcoming appeal trial. Thanh was convicted by the Region 5 People’s Court in Hung Yen Province for trading silver pheasants, classified as endangered and rare wildlife, in a case that has drawn significant public attention.
According to Hien, Thanh faces severe financial hardship. His father has died, his mother is elderly and chronically ill, and he has three young daughters. Thanh earns a living by singing at weddings and farming. He had successfully bred silver pheasants and decided to sell them.
“This was the first time Thanh sold pheasants that he had bred himself,” Hien said.
In early April, authorities in Thai Binh Province discovered ten silver pheasants, listed in Group IB of Vietnam’s Red Data Book, being transported for sale at Thanh’s request. He had previously purchased three breeding silver pheasants, raised them for reproduction, and sold their offspring for profit. Family members said he was unaware the species was strictly protected under the law.
On August 8, the first-instance court sentenced Thanh to six years in prison. The same day, an image of his wife clutching their two young daughters and crying outside the courthouse went viral on social media, sparking a heated debate. Many argued that the punishment was too harsh given his circumstances.
Thanh's wife and children cry after hearing about his jail sentence
The silver pheasant, scientific name Lophura nycthemera, is a large bird in the pheasant family. Fifteen subspecies are recognised, found in mountainous forests across mainland Southeast Asia and China. Males measure 80 to 127 centimetres in length, females 56 to 71 centimetres, with body weights of 1 to 2 kilos. They breed from February to June, laying four to ten eggs per clutch.
Silver pheasants are listed in Group IB of Vietnam’s Red Data Book and are strictly protected under the law.
Silver pheasants are listed as endangered, rare wildlife subject to strict protection.
