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Muthu Raja touches down in Thailand after five hour flight The special aircraft carrying Thailand gifted tusker Muthu Raja or Sak Surin landed at the Chiang Mai Airport yesterday afternoon. Source:Dailynews A Thai elephant gifted to Sri Lanka two decades ago arrived back in its birth country Sunday, following a diplomatic spat over the animal’s alleged mistreatment. Thai authorities had gifted the 29-year-old Muthu Raja also known as Sak Surin to Sri Lanka in 2001. But they demanded the elephant back last year after allegations that it was neglected while kept at a temple. The elephant arrived in Thailand just after 2 pm having been transported inside a specially constructed giant steel crate onboard an Ilyushin Il-76 cargo plane yesterday. The special compartment in Muthu Raja was flown back to Thailand heading for the BIA in Katunayake. “He arrived in Chiang Mai perfectly,” Thai environment minister Varawut Silpa-archa said at ...