Respect nature, pleads wildlife anti-trafficking cop

A deeper look at Thailand’s attractive illegal wildlife trade, which is worthwhile US$ 20 billion

Respect nature, pleads wildlife anti-trafficking cop
A suspect who had been detained from his home in Ratchaburi state two years prior had his antlers, tusks. He also had pelts and other wildlife parts taken from him. Department of National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation ( Photo )

According to anti-wildlife smuggling official Pol Col Wanpichit Wattanasakmonta,” We need to include a better balance between humans and nature.”

It’s not just about safeguarding animals, either. In order to make the world more green, we would like to encourage people to protect their own natural resources and the environment. After that, we can live happily alongside characteristics forever.

Aside from noble aspirations, the director of Sub-division 6 in the Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division’s daily tasks include pursuing criminals in an illegal sector for US$ 20 billion( 726 billion baht ), which is the fourth-most attractive crime worldwide after drugs, people, and weapons.

a hotspot for wildlife smuggling

Thailand has long served as a gateway for business, serving as its origin, destination, and transit route. Thailand is home to 10 % of the world’s animal species.

Luckily, the days when farms stocked with tigers, bears, and crocodiles were scattered throughout the nation. Shop windows now boldly display lion and leopard skins and Chatuchak market species from all over the world.

The fresh Wildlife Conservation and Protection Act of 2019 increased traffickers’ prison term to 20 years and protected non-native types. The Supreme Court gave Taiwanese seller Kingpin Boonchai Bach a five-year prison sentence in absentia in 2022 after he first walked completely.

And on September 19, Malaysian Teo Boon Ching received an 18-month prison term in the US for plotting to transport thousands of dollars’ worth of rhinoceros ears in hundreds of kilograms. The” uncle”, a smuggler, had been extradited from Thailand.

On a helicopter, animals

However, there is still wildlife trafficking going on everywhere in the country. Chaos broke out after a rat and an otter were discovered wandering about on an Oct. 4 flight from Suvarnabhumi to Taipei. They had managed to get away from the carry-on bag that contained two dark large squirrels, 20 Cambodian star tortoises, and the snake and prairie dog.

Media reports had a lighthearted voice, but anyone who is concerned about animal cruelty, species extinction, and the possibility of zoonotic diseases, which most scientists believe are to blame for Covid-19, will never find the smuggling scourge interesting.

” Over the past two to three years, we have taken both protected animals and” reserved” animals from smugglers ,” according to Pol Col. Wanpichit on the & nbsp, Bangkok Post, podcast, and Deeper Dive. Unique species include birds, lion cubs, lemurs, and most recently pangolins. Additionally smuggled are snake and cat parts.

Pangolins, also known as” scaly anteaters,” were once widespread in Thailand but are now primarily caught in Indonesia and transported live by ship to Myanmar or overland through Malaysia before they cross the Thai border. They are traded for their meat and scales for use in traditional Chinese medicine. Therefore, they are swiftly transported into China from the Lao border.

And some people still believe that it’s hunting these in Thailand. It’s a way of living, really. Pol Col. Wanpichit Wattanasakmonta is the director of sub-division 6 in the division of natural resources and economic crime suppression.

Foreign research facilities

The smuggling of monkey monkeys and nbsp is even widespread.

They originate in the northwestern region of Thailand, according to Pol Col. Wanpichit. They are almost undoubtedly going to facilities in China, but even when pressed, the officer stuck to police protocol and avoided mentioning specific nations out of concern that they might offend.

What we can say, he said, is that they are first brought to nearby nations before being smuggled into a fourth nation for testing purposes.

The wildlife protection officer was evident that enforcement efforts may not completely eradicate the trade until demand for the product declines, despite the fact that investigators have had some success fighting the criminal gangs that dominate the industry.

” In some nations, news and information about the risks, repercussions, and fines associated with wildlife trafficking are practically nonexistent.” And some people still believe that it’s hunting these in Thailand. It’s a way of living, really.


For a complete interview with Pol Col Wanpichit Wattanasakmonta on the fourth episode of the brand-new Bangkok Post podcast, Deeper Dive, go to https :// spoti.fi / 3ZQ7fOv. Or look up” Deeker Dive Thailand” wherever you find apps.

Continue Reading

How should Uzbekistan develop its debt market?

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has called for a significant economic transformation, as stated in Uzbekistan’s New Development Strategy 2022 – 2026. Uzbekistan is well on its way to achieving its socio-economic development goals, based on recent press coverage and on-the-ground images. & nbsp,

All of that is good information, but Uzbekistan is capable of more. & nbsp,

It is past time for Uzbekistan to begin creating a robust long-term loan funds market in ens, the nation’s official currency. A well-developed local debt market may benefit Uzbekistan’s lenders and borrowers more than the current structure of its debt markets, and over time it would also benefit foreign investors, to hasten the process of economic transformation. & nbsp,

Box 1 demonstrates why a portion of the som debt market isn’t appealing to borrowers under the current conditions. This is the main reason why the SOM-denominated bond market remains undeveloped. Loans in SOm are costly due to inflation. & nbsp,

Box 1: In Uzbekistan, who can afford a 16 % mortgage?

Consider the home loan industry in Uzbekistan to describe the purpose of this article. You can obtain a som mortgage loan at presently 16 % interest from the lender if you want to purchase real estate. A 20-year linear mortgage with a 5 % redemption rate implies that the borrower pays 21 % of the original amount in the first year. Who has the money for that?

This explains why the regular mortgage in Uzbekistan only accounts for 25 % of the property’s value. & nbsp, Banks seems to have poor vision. & nbsp,

An inflation-linked loan is a much better product for the lenders. Assume the bank wants to make a 4 % margin and that inflation will be 12 % the following year. The borrower would have to spend what? The loan would only need to consent to prices plus 4 % interest.

In general, the borrower will pay the 4 % interest plus 5 % redemption, which equals 9 %, plus inflation over this sum, or 1.12 times the 10 %, in the first year. Consequently. The bank only charges the borrower 10 % in the first year as opposed to the original 21 %. The cost of the mortgage is now double as low!

To put it another way, a person can use half as much with an inflation-linked loan. As a result, the average mortgage in Uzbekistan could now easily increase from 25 % to 50 % of the home’s market value.


The development of solely inflation-protected debt instruments is the answer to the comparative unaffordability of the sole loan industry. The creditor may now only give a chance premium of, say, 4 % annually after accounting for inflation, as opposed to the nominal rate, which would have been 16 %. In our example, the customer may spend half of the loan’s cash flow in the first year as opposed to the amount that is currently owed. & nbsp,

There is no magic in this situation because as a borrower’s payments rise in nominal terms over time due to inflation, you end up paying the same as you would under an old ( non-indexed ) contract. The money flows are, in actual words, better distributed over time, which is the difference. & nbsp,

The confusion of Uzbekistan’s potential inflation is taken into account when pricing inflation-indexed equipment. Also long-term maturities of 20 or 30 years ought to be feasible.

Due to the lower risks, it is anticipated that this type of debt will lower the cost of borrowing in Uzbekistan, which will benefit both the housing market( see Box 2 ) and the government’s budget. & nbsp,

Box 2: According to economic theory, an inflation-linked relationship offsets currency risk by ensuring that the native stock’s buying power at maturity is constant across all markets. In other words, the transfer rate between two nations is essentially balanced. & nbsp,

Because the purchasing power of principal and interest at any given time is supposed to be the same across industry, inflation-linked bonds are made to make costs and inflation useless. For instance, it makes no difference if an asset costs US$ 1, 000 or$ 10,000 in six months because you will always receive the appropriate number, regardless of its nominal charge. In addition, & nbsp,


Long-term ties in regional money

Consider Uzbekistan’s federal loans needs as stated by its Ministry of Investments, Industry, and Trade as another illustration of the value of developing a native bond market. & nbsp,

It is obvious that Uzbekistan needs long-term funding because there are numerous infrastructure projects with long shelf lives, including the ambitious Trans-Afghan Railway and its planned free economic zones and public private partnerships( PPPs ) across the nation.

It takes a while to repay these jobs because they require so much cash. Such words should not be used to finance a railroad’s borrowing costs because they cannot be” earned up” in just three years. & nbsp,

If Uzbekistan wants to fund its long-term agreements with debt tools that must be refinanced every three years, a debt crisis may be on the horizon. Borrowing foreign money over the long term has related limitations because exchange rates are outside of Uzbekistan’s control. & nbsp,

Additionally, because these jobs are in Uzbekistan, local currency is the best form of financing.

Treasury Inflation – Protected Securities ( TIPS ) of the Uzbek Republic

The Uzbekistan Treasury Inflation-Protested Securities ( U – TIPS ), inflation-linked local currency debt instruments, or the tip-protected securities market should all be developed in order to finance these projects.

U-tips, like US TIPS, may be indexed to a trustworthy inflation and nbsp measure to shield investors and investors from an increase in their money’s purchasing power. The primary value of a TIPS increases as inflation rises, which causes the discount payments to change proportionately. & nbsp,

Interestingly, Uzbek TIPS would enable owners to concentrate on the credit risk in the investment structure and, as a result, more closely align the ties with credit default swaps. Credit default swaps are tools that, in theory, ignore other dangers like prices and just charge the costs associated with default. In addition, & nbsp,

For instance, Turkey recently issued a 10-year bond at 27 % annually when its credit risk was only 7 %. Turkey should have been able to issue a TIPS in the range of just 7 %, which means investors receive an annual return of 3 %, each year adjusted for inflation, as opposed to issuing an interest-bearing bond of 27 %. & nbsp,

Additionally, an inflation-linked bond is preferable to a fixed-rate long-term bond for the reasons listed below: & nbsp,

  1. Lower risks: greater certainty regarding the actual income and cost of debt for both the lender and the borrower.
  2. Lower saving costs as a result of lower risk premiums due to walled prices risk.
  3. Due to inflation hedge, nearby currency risk was mostly avoided. This will be more accurate the longer the saving phrase( see Box 2 ) & nbsp,
  4. Risks involving foreign exchange were avoided, such as prices in the eu or imbalances on the EU single market. & nbsp,
  5. No risks associated with international politics, such as restrictions on dollar payments to second nations.

Other benefits that come with creating a strong local currency government bond market include the following: & nbsp,

  1. Companies can raise long-term funding from domestic sources thanks to a more secure financial system under Uzbekistan’s control( better allocation of saving ).
  2. Government finances should be better managed and planned to reduce the need for selling proper assets, increase taxes, or overstuff the balance sheet of the central bank. & nbsp,
  3. establishes a benchmark rate for home financial markets and government risk. & nbsp,
  4. provides opportunities for local pension funds and insurance firms to invest while fostering native private capital markets.

Mirziyoyev might think about asking his economic team to put together a plan to develop the mechanism to issue inflation-indexed local currency debt instruments with 10 year tenors, and perhaps longer. This mechanism would include dependable and independent methodologies to determine inflation. & nbsp,

In this way, Uzbekistan would become the only other Asian nation to challenge 10-year inflation-indexed ties, joining Japan, South Korea, and a select few people.

Continue Reading

US to deepen chokehold on China’s AI chip access

A new set of regulations that aim to stop Chinese businesses from sourcing American-made high-end artificial intelligence ( AI ) chips through various channels are expected to be announced by the United States.

Washington plans to introduce fresh regulations that may limit some superior AI cards to China, according to an unnamed US official who spoke with Reuters. According to the report, the US is considering whether to forbid exports of the H800 scrap from Nvidia to China. & nbsp,

According to Bloomberg, the US will step up its efforts to see if any Chinese companies are getting around export restrictions by sending shipments through various countries. Additionally, it will demand that foreign manufacturers obtain a US permit before placing orders with Taiwanese chip design companies. According to the information, the new regulations will be released early this year.

According to Wang Wenbin, a spokeswoman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry,” China opposes US politicizing, instrumentalizing, and weaponizing commerce and technology problems.

The principles of marketplace economy and fair competition are violated by arbitrarily putting curbs in place or violently seeking decoupling to further social agenda, the global economic and trading order is undermined, global commercial and supply chains are disrupted and destabilized, and ultimately the interests of the entire world are harmed, he claimed. & nbsp,

China, according to Wang, did closely monitor advances and steadfastly protect its legal rights and interests.

Interchip data rates

The Biden administration ordered US chip manufacturers to stop sending 600 gigabytes per second interchip graphics chips to China and Russia in August of last year. This new law applies to AMD’s MI250 device as well as Nvidia and H100 chips.

Later, Nvidia unveiled the 400 and 300 gigabytes per second A800 and H800 computers, between, for Chinese areas. Both chips meet the export standards set forth by the US government.

With US device bans in thinking, Nvidia’s A800 computer was designed for export to China. Photo: Facebook

Although it has not yet announced the regulations, press reports in June of this year claimed that the Biden presidency would soon forbid the import of the A800 and H800 to China.

A US official recently informed Reuters that a” performance density” factor will take the place of the bandwidth factor to help avoid further workarounds. & nbsp,

Just AI cards with performance criteria that fall within the export ban guidelines can be shipped to China. & nbsp,

Chinese tech behemoths BAT( Baidu, Alibaba, and Tencent) and ByteDance just ordered US$ 5 billion worth of A800 bits from Nvidia, according to a report by The Financial Times on August 9.

According to the report, 100 000 A800 chips worth$ 1 billion are expected to arrive this year, with the remaining ones arriving in 2024. & nbsp,

According to tech experts, the A800 now performs at 70 % of an A100. It’s unclear if the new regulations will forbid the delivery of the A800 and H800 to China.

A Beijing-based journalist claimed in an article published on Monday by the systems news website AI era that the H800 is now a slower version of H100 but that it may still be prohibited from being shipped to China. The upcoming US limits may hinder Chinese businesses’ ability to develop their Intelligence technologies, according to nbsp.

trade solutions

According to a Reuters report from June, some shops in Shenzhen’s Huaqiangbei area were discovered to have purchased small quantities of A100 cards at prices twice as high as usual, costing$ 20,000 each. & nbsp,

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army( PLA) frequently purchases commercial off-the-shelf AI systems from Chinese academic institutions and private companies, which are not easily blocked by US restrictions on military end-users, according to a research report published in June of last year by the Washington-based think tank Center for Security and Emerging Technology( CSET ). & nbsp,

The CSET stated that it would be difficult for US authorities to launch a targeted assault on the PLA’s intermediate device suppliers due to the challenges associated with tracking AI cards and the variety of potential vendors. & nbsp,

Nearly all of the 97 AI cards the CSET was able to identify from public Army acquire records were created by Nvidia, Xilinx( today AMD ), Intel, or Microsemi. The CSET added that the PLA is placing orders for AI cards created by US companies and produced in Taiwan and South Korea. & nbsp,

Huawei is evading US device regulations. Photo: Twitter

As the 7nm AI computer uses the company’s self-developed Da Vinci structures, sanctioned Chinese technology huge Huawei Technologies can also transfer the production of its Ascend 910 device to Taiwanese TSMC.

More than 20 Chinese towns have used Ascend cards in their AI services, according to a CITIC Securties studies document that was released in July, and Huawei currently holds the 79 % market share for AI technology centers in China. & nbsp,

Zhang Dixuan, CEO of Huawei’s Atlas Data Center Business, announced on July 6 that the company may increase the number of Ascend 910 tickets in its Altas 900 Supercluster from 4, 000 to 16, 000 after this month.

An That writer named Yao Yue claims that such a grouping is sufficient to teach an equal chatbot to GPT3.0.

Read: Shanghai’s plans to develop an AI hotspot may be derailed by the microprocessor war.

What’s behind Samsung and SK Hynix device war discounts, you ask?

@ jeffpao3 Follow Jeff Pao on Twitter at & nbsp.

Continue Reading

Thais return with harrowing stories of surviving Hamas attack

Thais return with harrowing stories of surviving Hamas attack
At Suvarnaphumi airports on Monday evening, a girl embraces her brother, one of the 244 Thais who arrived back from war-torn Israel. Sutthiwit Chayutworakan( picture )

On Monday evening, Saksit Wichitthongchai returned from Israel with a terrifying tale of terrorizing himself while near labor camps were being attacked by Hamas terrorists.

He carried knives for shelter at night along with the other Thais in his job camp. He remarked. They discovered that the Hamas episodes had killed seven or eight employees at a local station. & nbsp,

Fortunately, despite the battle being audible all around them, there were no deaths in his tent, which was about 30 kilometers from the primary area of conflict. According to Mr. Saksit, all 60 Vietnamese employees in the tent were evacuated without incident.

Related tales were told by other returnees.

The 28-year-old Khon Kaen gentleman was one of the 244 Thais who arrived home from Israel on Monday evening. 33 Thai students from two universities who arrived on a special charter flight made up their fifth group & nbsp of returnees. & nbsp,

At 8.46 am on Monday, Mr. Saksit and his colleagues boarded journey EI AI LY085 from Tel Aviv and touched down at Suvarnabhumi aircraft in Samut Prakan state at 9.01 pm.

Boonyawee Khwaiphan, deputy director of the Department of Employment, other & nbsp, labor officials, airport staff, and relatives all greeted them. & nbsp,

On Monday evening, 244 Thais who have been evacuated from Israel arrive at Suvarnabhumi airports. ( Photo: Sutthiwit Chayutworakan ) & nbsp

Continue Reading

How China’s Belt and Road Initiative is changing after a decade of big projects and big debts

BEIJING: After ten years of significant projects that increased business but left significant debts and raised environmental concerns, China’s Belt and Road Initiative aims to be smaller and greener. The change occurs as officials from all over the developing world travel to Beijing this week for a government-organized community onContinue Reading

China tightens curbs on foreign travel by bankers, state workers

Reuters was unable to ascertain whether destination-specific limits changed. A state politics system in an eastern Ningbo capital city issued directives in September, and the National Council for Social Security Fund issued another earlier this year, among the official finds seen by Reuters. Both emphasized the need for stricter vettingContinue Reading

Russia of two minds over Hamas terror attack

The Hamas terror attacks in Israel have divided Soviet mind manufacturers, reflecting a polarized social climate in Russia.

In response to the Hamas problems, which resulted in the deaths of over 1,300 Israelis, including hundreds of children and adolescents, the Kremlin has been working to project an air of” impartiality.” The establishment of a Palestinian state has been emphasized by Putin and top Russian officials as they reiterate their well-known stance that the Middle East needs” a just and lasting serenity.”

However, the public’s response is very diverse, and the majority of Russian media has disregarded the official position. Instead, Russian media outlets concentrated on the savagery of the Hamas attack, which included the killing of civilians.

This was an unspeakable horror of atrocities— there were 40 baby bodies in a kibbutz completely exterminated in the most brutal way … It is unthinkable, the worst kind of crime ,” the headline of the left-wing, mass-circulation Moscow-based newspaper Moskovky Kimsooletz’s October 11 coverage of” Horror in Israel.”

The television station for the business news Kommersant remarked,” For decades, the Soviet Union one-sidedly supported the Arabs, and it didn’t work out too well.” Perhaps we should keep that in mind now that we are companions with Israel.

According to the Kommersant paper, sales of Israeli-related books have increased by 30 % in Russia since October 7, with books on Israeli history taking second place and those on the Mossad intelligence agency coming in second.

The Arab extremists have been branded as war criminals by some Russian advertising. Given the Kremlin’s power over Russian media and television, this attitude, which was most obvious in the days immediately following the Hamas attack, was probably given tacit approval. Since then, the voice has been somewhat subdued, probably to maintain the appearance of” neutrality.”

This place within a sizable portion of Russian culture is natural given the close ties between Russia and Israel, the broad family reunifications between Russians and Israelis, Israel’s rising appeal as vacation destinations, and the visa-free regime in place between the two nations.

Moreover, there is an underlying prejudice against fundamentalist Muslims that is not explicitly expressed, especially in light of the two Chechen wars and the terrorist attacks on Islamic fundamentalism in Russian cities.

Nevertheless, it is important to note that not everyone in Russia is on Israel’s side. Even though their numbers are declining, some, particularly among the older technology influenced by Soviet-era education, continue to support the Palestinian cause.

Russia has not made any concrete efforts to support the Palestinians, either socially or physically, despite the Kremlin’s official position. While there are political efforts being made to address the issue, Israeli air forces are actually free to operate in Arab airspace and have carried out several airstrikes against Hezbollah targets, including important airports in Damascus and Aleppo, while Russian S-400 and SU-27 aircraft have remained casually stationed in their Syrian bases. This latest strategy might be viewed as a successful way to support Israel.

Why doesn’t Russia help Israel more forcefully and directly? Some Kremlin-related people give two principal explanations.

First of all, despite American sanctions, Moscow is eager to maintain its connection with Iran, which has emerged as a vital ally for Russia in army and arms assistance. This marriage would be in danger if Tel Aviv received any substantial support.

Second, Russia feels degraded by the latest Israeli government’s activities. Israel has given Ukraine significant assistance, including military experts, trainers, and electrical equipment, even though it did not join European sanctions against Russia. This mainly irritates the Kremlin, who sees Israel’s behavior as a betrayal of friendship.

However, it is undeniable that the majority of Russians support Israel in its fight against terrorism, and it’s very possible that they will keep their support for the Palestinians to political cliches.

Continue Reading