“This concept should not be adopted. The ones who would benefit are big traders not small ones, and certainly not endangered wildlife,” shot Surapol Duangkhae, former secretary general of Wildlife Fund Thailand.
Last week Traffic, a wildlife trade monitor, and World Wildlife Fund International issued a report called “Trading Nature: the contribution of wildlife trade management to sustainable livelihoods and the Millennium development goals”.
It said a managed trade on wildlife and wildlife products can offer opportunities to poor people and communities.
The report recommended governments explore “semi-intensive production methods”, experiment with management regimes, develop “pro-poor” approaches to standards and certification schemes, and consider co-ordinated approaches to different components of wildlife trade. Read the rest of this entry »
PERU, June 1 (TNA) - A group of French businessmen will travel to Thailand on June 11 to negotiate possible importing of Thai prawns, rice, fruits and spices, Thai Commerce and Deputy Prime Minister Mingkwan Saengsuwan said Sunday.
Mr. Mingkwan, now in Peru attending a trade ministers meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) grouping, said senior executives of France’s Casino Group plan to discuss buying Thai goods during their stay in Thailand.
It would enable Thailand to export more goods to France, he said.
The Casino Group now operates over 10,000 stores around the world and has gained the leading edge in the French food retail trade.
Besides the Casino Group, Mr. Mingkwan said he had also conferred with ranking executives of Tangfrere Group who are also keen on importing Thai goods.
France could become a distribution centre for Thai goods in Europe because of its preparedness in facilities, he said. Read the rest of this entry »
The web developer has designed the virtual map from thousands of panoramic street-level photographs, allowing anyone with a ‘Net connection to travel the streets of the resort. You can adjust the angle, turning left and right and moving back and forwards. The virtual map will help first-time visitors learn their way around Pattaya as well as giving them the chance to check out hotels, bars and shopping destinations.Boutique Thai hotels join WorldHotels Indigo Pearl Phuket and Villa Lawana in Koh Samui are the latest members of WorldHotels, the Europe-based group specialising in boutique hotels. Indigo Pearl celebrates Phuket’s tin mining heritage with a subtle theme that runs through the finest details, from the names of the restaurants and bars to the staff uniforms. Villa Lawana, on Koh Samui’s Chaweng beach, has a stylish contemporary design with a Sino-Thai accent, recalling the history and culture of the region. Read the rest of this entry »
Government puts Bt100-bn tourism project back on the ‘fast track’ The government of Prime Minister Samak Sundara-vej has given the green light to the Ao Phuket development plan, a 100-billion-baht mega-project on 3,000 rai of reclaimed land that would include a convention centre, marina and other facilities. The latest movement in the Ao Phuket plan, first conceived over two decades ago, follows from PM Samak’s assigning responsibility for the project to the the Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Adminis-tration (DASTA), a public organisation under the direction of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports established in 2005 under the first Thaksin government. Phuket Governor Niran Kalayanamit met with DASTA’s Ao Phuket working committee at the Phuket Merlin Hotel on May 2. The Ao Phuket committee, accompanied by DASTA chairman General Soonthorn Khum-komkul, earlier that morning traveled to the waterfront to view the intended project site, which stretches across Phuket Bay all the way from Saphan Hin to Rassada Harbor.Sustainable development Samak authorised the DASTA in March to take responsibility for areas it deems as appropriate for “sustainable” tourism development. Rajathin Syamananda, who heads DASTA’s Ao Phuket project committee, is well acquainted with the project as a former director-general of the Interior Ministry’s Town and Country Planning Department. Allowing DASTA to develop the project meant it could be fast-tracked, he said. Before the Ao Phuket project was put on hold following the coup, responsibility for it fell to the Town and Country Plan-ning Department, who put a Bt63.5-billion price tag on the designs it drew up. That plan in many ways resembled a spectacular Bt130-billion plan put forward for the project in 2005 by Japanese construction specialist Umeza-wa Tadao - except that the Japanese design called for a “floating city”, not one on reclaimed land. ”The most important aspect of this development will be environmental and natural resource conservation, and ensuring that it improves the lives of local people,” he said. Read the rest of this entry »
After a nationwide spate of thefts and damage done to important cultural sites, Phuket Vice Governor Wora-poj Ratthasima visited the Thalang National Museum yesterday to ensure its collection and other sites looked after by the Fine Arts Depart-ment remain safe. Thalang Museum Curator Atjima Nukong told him all the museum’s items were accounted for and properly protected. Fine Arts Department director-general Kriengkrai Sampat-chalit called earlier for better security measures at ancient sites nationwide, after high-profile incidents of damage or theft reported in Nakhon Ratchasima, Buri Ram and Rayong. After meeting with staff at the Thalang museum, Vice Governor Worapoj and his entourage stopped to inspect the condition of the nearby Heroines’ Monument. Built in 1967, the statues of Thao Thepkrasattri and Thao Srisoonthorn were found to still be in good condition. Read the rest of this entry »