Kaeng Krachan national park
- Thailand
Parks officials speak to DNP bribery inquiry
Seventeen officials from the Department of National Parks (DNP) made statements to police yesterday in connection with the DNP bribery inquiry into former department chief Rutchada Suriyakul Na Ayutya. Rutchada was arrested at his office in Chatuchak district on December 27 on suspicion of demanding or taking bribes from subordinates and malfeasance. His arrest came when Chaiwat Limlikit-aksorn, former head…
- Environment
Varawut takes National Parks corruption flack
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Varawut Silpa-archa said yesterday that he would ensure justice is done in the national parks corruption investigation that has threatened to consume his department. Varawut apologised and accepted responsibility for the alleged corruption committed by Rutchada Suriyakul Na Ayutya, saying the investigating committee would speak to all directors and related personnel, without any interference from…
- Crime
Thai park ranger ‘Chaiwat’ working in civil service despite murder charges
Despite Thai park ranger Chaiwat Limlikitaksorn being accused of murdering Karen activist Porlajee “Billy” Rakchongcharoen in western Thailand in 2014, he is still working in the civil service. According to Section 101 of Thailand’s Civil Service Act (2008), any civil servant with criminal charges pressed against them should be suspended from government service pending the result of the investigation. In…
- Thailand
Man trampled to death by wild elephants in Hua Hin, Thailand
Last night, a villager was trampled to death by wild elephants on a road just outside the boundary of Kaeng Krachan National Park in Hua Hin district, Prachuap Khiri Khan province. This morning, Director of the National Park Pichai Watcharawongpaiboon was informed that a local man had been found dead and suspected to have been trampled on by wild elephants.…
- Thailand
Endangered black panther spotted on road in central Thailand
Tourists on their way to Kaeng Krachan National Park in the central province of Phetchaburi spotted an endangered black panther on the road as they neared their campsite yesterday morning. National park officials have advised tourists to drive with caution and stick to the speed limit in case they encounter black panthers or other wild animals on the road. Yesterday,…
- Thailand
Endangered black panther spotted at national park in central Thailand
A Thai tourist wrote about her encounter with an endangered black panther at a national park in Phetchaburi province in central Thailand on social media yesterday. The woman videoed the black panther rolling around on its back like a domestic house cat in the rare sighting. The woman was driving through Kaeng Krachan National Park when she spotted a black…
- Bangkok
Activists rally in Bangkok against eviction of Karenni people from national park
Activists demanding justice for evicted Karenni forest-dwellers have rallied in Bangkok, calling on the government to support the ethnic communities ousted from Kaeng Krachan National Park. According to a Nation Thailand report, a procession of vehicles through the capital was led by P-move and the Save Bang Kloy group. The group is named after the village in the central province…
- Hua Hin
Forensic analysis ordered for elephant killed with 120 bullets
Grandfather of Pala-U, a 60 year old elephant who died after being shot more than 120 times, will be aided by forensic experts in an attempt to identify his killer. Earlier this month, the elephant was found in Phetchaburi province with more than 100 bullet wounds all over its body. Last Saturday, despite the best efforts of veterinarians who have…
- Central Thailand
Committee tasked with resolving Karen land row to hold first meeting tomorrow
A panel tasked with resolving the ongoing land dispute between Karen tribespeople and national park officials will hold its first meeting tomorrow. According to Thamanat Prompow from the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry, the committee hopes to find a solution to the disagreement between forest protection officials and Karen villagers who wish to reside in Kaeng Krachan National Park, in the…
- Central Thailand
World Heritage committee to consider delaying Kaeng Krachan national park application
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre says it recognises the plight being faced by indigenous Karen people in Kaeng Krachan national park, in central Thailand. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says the Karen villagers are not permitted to live in the park, after complaints from environmental rights groups concerned about the effect on the surrounding forest land. The Karen people have submitted a…
- Thailand
Thailand’s PM says Karen villagers can’t live in national park
Thailand’s PM says Karen villagers are not allowed to live in Phetchaburi’s Kaeng Krachan National Park after welcoming the UN to investigate the ethnic minority group’s living conditions in the park. PM Prayut made the announcement after the government recently accepted villagers’ demands for consideration in return for them leaving their protest site yesterday outside of the Government House. PM…
- Central Thailand
Thailand welcomes UN to inspect ethnic Karen village in Kaeng Krachan national park
Thailand’s government says it is welcoming the UN to inspect the ethnic Karen village in Kaeng Krachan national park, Phetchaburi, after ongoing allegations of human rights violations allegedly committed by Thai officials. The villagers were evacuated from their original village of Ban Bang Kloy or Jai Paendin in the national park after locals complained that the village’s location could potentially…