Regional News

Gruesome Death Stalks the Front Lines of Conservation

Facing facts: Australian Sean Willmore of the International Rangers Foundation shows his ‘butcher’s bill’ of rangers killed to fellow rangers in Khao Yai, Thailand.

KHAO YAI – It is one of the most poignant photos I’ve taken during this CITES. We are in Khao Yai (literally, “Big Mountain”), Thailand’s first and grandest national park. Peaks and plunges. Huge trees. Waterfalls. And there are elephants and even a few tigers out there. Also rangers and poachers and a largely unnoticed wildlife war.

A burly Australian, Sean Willmore, has his computer out on a table in the shade of helpful trees. Sean is director of the International Rangers Foundation.

Strong-arm tactics: National park rangers go through their paces at a training session in Thailand held by the Freeland Foundation, an NGO that specializes in tracking wildlife crime and exposing criminal syndicates, as well as developing alternative livelihoods for poachers.

Watching Sean, with obviously mixed feelings, is a group of rangers from 13 different Asian countries: Bhutan, India, Laos, Thailand, China, Philippines …

Sean is showing them a list of rangers who have been killed worldwide while doing their job. It makes for grim reading; about 1,000 fatalities in the last 10 years since he started the butcher’s bill.

“This is a conservative estimate based on partial data from only 35 countries,” he says. The implication is obvious. Many others have died. And died hard. A few lucky escapes — poachers decided to bury one ranger from the Republic of Congo alive in a grilling pit but his mates dug him out.

All the national parks rangers here in Khao Yai have been invited by the Bangkok-based Freeland Foundation, an NGO that specializes in tracking wildlife crime, exposing criminal syndicates, strengthening the capacity of national parks staff and developing alternative livelihoods for poachers.

I have heard Freeland described as “mushrooms and muscle.” The mushrooms are grown as alternative livelihoods by former poachers aided and abetted by Freeland advisers. Income is good, and the mushrooms apparently are first-rate.

Freeland’s people have various backgrounds, including as investigative journalists, environmental activists and biologists. The field trainers, though, are mainly ex-military skilled in tactics and veterans of operating in hostile forest and wilderness environments.

The military touch is essential. The ongoing wildlife war shows no sign of a ceasefire.

Photo or Poacher taken by camera traps set-up to monitor clouded leopards in the park.

Wildlife trafficking in Southeast Asia isn’t a matter of a hungry, impoverished local “shooting for the pot,” explains Tim Redford, one of Freeland’s principal field trainers — it is a huge business involving skilled and sophisticated criminal syndicates.

ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network (WEN), a transnational organization monitoring and combating trafficking, reports that in the past four years 150,000 wild animals have been confiscated in the region. Some are released back into safer areas, many die of stress or have to be destroyed. Nine tons of pangolins have been captured and there’s nothing to do but try to feed them ants (which isn’t effective) then reduce their remains to ash.

Thailand sits slap in the middle of the wildlife trade routes and its porous borders offer easy access and egress to smugglers.

ASEAN WEN estimates that 153,000 animal and plant parts are smuggled internationally every day in this part of the world.

Wildlife crime is coordinated and cool-headed.

The independent U.K.-based Environment Investigation Agency (EIA), an NGO founded in 1984, states that professional traffickers are more than familiar with CITES — and that, in fact, efforts by it and the EIA — which aims to investigate and expose crimes against wildlife and the environment — might even raise a species’ market value. Or lead to hoarding in the expectation of higher prices in the future.

The EIA notes that wildlife crime receives a low priority in many countries, as it is perceived as “victimless.” Consequently, for a criminal syndicate, the penalties handed down by courts are regarded as part of a “low-risk, high-profit” business.

Drugs can invite a death sentence. Ivory, pangolins, rosewood, frogs — penalties following these arrests are laughed at.

Park Rangers learn Camouflage training

In Khao Yai, the rangers and the managers are eager to learn.

Being a ranger is an overworked, underpaid and at times a very dangerous profession, as Sean’s statistics show.

The poachers mostly active in Khao Yai, which spans 2,168 sq. km at altitudes between 400 and 1,000 meters, don’t come for elephants; they come for rosewood trees. They bring rice pots and guns. They shoot gibbons and boar to go with their rice. Elsewhere in the country they set up small sawmills to process their contraband timber.

If a ranger patrol approaches, the timber poachers shoot at them. Sometimes they set booby traps — pipe guns with shotgun shells, a whiff of gunpowder and a trip wire that will fire lethal pellets into a passing Barking Deer or into the legs of a ranger.

The men and women attending the Freeland training session are well aware of the dangers of their work. And if they weren’t, they are now. Sean’s hardly reassuring. Assassinations; 50 rangers versus 5,000 drugged-up Congo militiamen intent on raping and pillaging; ranger killed by angry rhino; ranger treading on landmine; intimidation; being suspended upside down stark naked by the Venezuela military and anally raped with batons after trying to stop sea-turtle poaching by the military themselves. It goes on, much further.

“Sean,” think I, “these guys have enough to worry about! One of their colleagues just got shot and another one had his face ripped off by a bear!”

But the rangers take all this horror in their stride. They seem to become more determined.

Sean sweetens the bitter pill. His organization will pay $1,000 to any ranger killed. “Unless they’re drunk or commit suicide. Which rules all of you out!” There’s laughter.

Every ranger is issued with a Freeland kit: water bottle, combat fatigues, cook pot for brewing tea or rice and, cor blimey, a tablet. Not for malaria or suicide; a Sony tablet computer. All the course material is there, all the group photos. But most importantly they leave with training, support and companionship. Back into the forests. Back into the war.

“The poachers keep coming,” says one ranger, “and we will be there to say ‘hello and goodbye.’ “

Regional News

Thai Immigration Police Detain Over 26,000 Illegal Migrant Workers

Thailand’s Immigration Police have detained approximately 26,000 illegal migrant workers from Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia during an eight-day operation in Bangkok and surrounding regions, according to a Royal Thai Police spokesperson.

Mr Adisorn Keudmeuangkhon of the Bangkok-based Migrant Working Group said the drive was in response to an increasing number of concerns about an influx of illegal migrant labor.

“Some Thai people see that many illegal workers are competing for their job positions in the past few months,” he told me. “That’s why the ministry has to take tougher action.”

Civil strife in Myanmar and the recent implementation of a military conscription have driven thousands of Burmese into Thailand, while severe inflation and limited job opportunities in Laos have also encouraged an influx of workers from that country.

Between June 5 and 12, officials detained and checked 20,111 Myanmar laborers, 1,659 Laotian migrant workers, and 3,971 Cambodian workers, according to the Ministry of Labor.

It marked the start of a 120-day campaign to audit workplaces and arrest unlawful migrant workers, according to the government.

Migrant Workers to be Deported

According to Keudmeuangkhon, undocumented workers face fines ranging from 5,000 to 50,000 Thai baht (US $136 to $1,365), deportation, and a two-year prohibition on re-entering Thailand.

Authorities did not intend to file criminal charges, he claimed.

Authorities raided 1,774 workplaces, according to Moe Gyo, chairman of the Joint Action Committee on Burmese Affairs, which advocates for Myanmar labor rights.

He stated that since the military junta activated conscription, there has been an upsurge in the number of arrests of Myanmar citizens in Thailand who do not have a work permit identity card.

All men aged 18 to 35 and women aged 18 to 27 must serve in the military for at least two years. The first group of 5,000 conscripts summoned by Myanmar’s junta will start duty at the end of this month, military sources told AFP on Monday.

According to Keudmeuangkhon, the bulk of Lao migrant workers in Thailand work as fresh market shopkeepers, restaurant servers, and mall salespeople.

Most people visit Thailand as part of ASEAN’s visa-free policy for tourists, but they stay longer than the 30-day restriction once they find job.

“Employers like to hire Lao migrant workers in the service sector because they can speak fluent Thai,” he told me.

Immigration Police Detain Illegal Migrant Workers

The Thai Cabinet may approve an enhanced program for Thai employers to register their unauthorized foreign workers in July or August. Keudmeuangkhon explained.

Last month, the Thai Ministry of Labor’s Foreign Workers Administration office announced that 268,465 Lao migrant workers were officially working in Thailand.

Baykham Kattiya, Lao Minister of Labor, told Radio Free Asia earlier this month that there are 415,956 migrant workers in other nations, the majority of whom work in Thailand.

According to her, the Lao government believes that over 203,000 persons working outside of the nation lack proper work documents.

However, a Lao official familiar with the labor industry informed Radio Free Asia, a BenarNews-affiliated news station, on June 20 that the number of illegal Lao migrant workers in Thailand and abroad is likely significantly greater.

“They go to other countries as illegal migrant workers through different types of methods – as tourists or students,” said the politician. “Thus, it is hard for the immigration police to collect data on these people.”

Government Officials Responsible for Smuggling in Migrant Workers

Government Officials Responsible for Smuggling in Migrant Workers

News

High School Student Dies After Being Electrocuted By School Water Dispenser

14-year-old boy was electrocuted by a water dispenser: File Image

Thailand’s Office of Basic Education Commission has initiated an investigation into the electrocution of a 14-year-old student by a water dispenser in a high school. The event happened at noon on Friday, during the high school’s sports day. The victim was a Grade 8 student.

According to local media in Trang Province, the incident occurred when a teacher instructed the pupil to turn off a water dispenser amid a heavy rain.

According to a witness, the child collapsed while strolling with his friend near a water station. The friend claimed he attempted to assist but was also shocked by electricity.

According to reports, the friend then recovered, left the site, and requested assistance from teachers. A teacher ran to the scene and used a towel to pull the boy away by the ankle. He was taken to the hospital, but it was too late, they claimed.

The event sparked criticism from parents and netizens over school safety, as well as the slow response to aid the young youngster.

Mr. Chainarong Changrua, head of Trang-Krabi’s Secondary Educational Service Area Office, told local media on Sunday that forensic officers from Trang Provincial Police had visited the area. They discovered the blown breaker switch behind the water dispenser, he explained.

The breaker was burned out, thus the authorities assumed the disaster was caused by a short circuit that allowed energy to spill to a neighboring power pole. The student also appeared wet and was not wearing shoes when electrocuted.

According to the Office of Basic Education Commission, a probe team will complete its investigation this week.

The student’s father, Mr Pornchai Thepsuwan, 53, claimed he was saddened when he saw his son’s body. The boy (Wayu), was the youngest of two boys, he explained. He stated that following the tragedy, the school director and staff gave financial assistance to the families.

Mr Pornchai also said he would not seek charges against the institution because he believed it was an accident.

Electrical accidents in Thailand

Electrocution instances in Thailand have increased alarmingly in recent years. Many mishaps occur as a result of improper wiring and inadequate maintenance of electrical systems.

Public locations, such as schools and markets, frequently lack adequate safety precautions, putting individuals in danger. In rural areas, antiquated infrastructure exacerbates the situation, resulting in more frequent and serious events.

Although several high-profile cases have brought these challenges to light, genuine progress has been gradual. Furthermore, the rainy season heightens the likelihood of electrical accidents, as water and exposed wires do not mix well.

The government has made steps to strengthen safety standards, but enforcement is patchy. More education on electrical safety could help to reduce these accidents.

Unfortunately, better infrastructure and tougher rules may have prevented many of these incidents. The loss and injuries caused by electrocution are avoidable, emphasizing the need for immediate action.

Over 200 High School Students Facing Sedition Charges in Thailand

Over 200 High School Students Facing Sedition Charges in Thailand

News

Thailand’s Tourist Police Crackdown on Tourist Scammers in Pattaya

Tourist Police Pattaya: File Image

Thailand’s Tourist Police said it is collaborating with embassies from five countries to combat tourist scams and ten criminal gangs in Pattaya. The Tourist Police Bureau, convened a meeting on Thursday Pol Lt Gen Saksira Phuek-am told a press briefing.

Pol Lt Gen Saksira Phuek-am, the Tourist Police bureau commissioner said the participants included ambassadors from South Korea, Ukraine, Russia, India, and Switzerland.

He told the briefing the he had ordered a crackdown on tourist frauds, such as fraudulent or low-quality tour operators and unfair sales of goods and services. Stepped-up operations began on June 19 and will continue until June 25.

He stated that the agency was working with numerous organisations to increase tourists’ confidence in visiting Pattaya.

Gen Saksira spent time on the famed Walking Street speaking with officers on duty and assigned them to seek for members of ten criminal groups known to operate in Pattaya.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin will visit Chon Buri on Saturday to assess the tourism situation. He intends to visit the site of a future Formula One racecourse near Khao Phra Tamnak in Bang Lamung District.

Prime Minister Srettha recently met with Formula One organisers in Italy to examine the potential of including Thailand on the race schedule in the future.

On Sunday, the Prime Minister will pay a visit to Rayong’s U-tapao airport to discuss development on the airport’s land, with the goal of encouraging investment in the Eastern Economic Corridor.

Police Chief Reinstated

In other police news, Pol Gen Torsak Sukvimol has been reinstated as national police chief following the conclusion of an investigation into a highly publicised quarrel, according to Wissanu Krea-ngam, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin’s counsellor.

Mr Wissanu released the investigation’s findings on Thursday, after the prime minister formed a fact-finding committee chaired by Chatchai Promlert to investigate into the quarrel between Pol Gen Torsak and his deputy, Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn.

The four-month study revealed conflicts and disorder at all levels of the Royal Thai Police, but it was unclear whether these issues arose from a single cause or several causes, according to Mr Wissanu.

The findings revealed that both Pol Gen Torsak and Pol Gen Surachate were involved, with each team contributing to the tensions, he noted.

Mr Wissanu indicated that Pol Gen Surachate was reinstated as deputy national police head on 18 April following his relocation to the Prime Minister’s Office on 20 March. A disciplinary committee was formed to investigate Pol Gen Surachate, and he was ordered temporarily suspended from the police force.

Because there were no further difficulties to explore, it was decided to restore Pol Gen Torsak. He plans to retire on September 30.

On March 20, Mr Srettha abruptly transferred both top police officers to the Prime Minister’s Office in an effort to address the growing schism within the police service.

Kitrat Panphet, Deputy National Police Chief, was subsequently named Acting Police Chief. According to sources, Pol Gen Surachate could face money laundering charges related to online gaming networks.

Source: Bangkok Post