New forestry law has harsher penalties for encroachers and illegal loggers

25 Sept 04:55 Key points summarised by AI

Thailand's new National Parks Act introduces severe penalties, including jail terms up to 20 years and/or fines up to two million baht, for forest encroachers and illegal loggers.
The law targets various offenses such as clearing land, burning trees for occupation, and causing damage to natural resources, with stiffer penalties for offenses in critical watershed areas or large-scale destruction.
It also offers cash rewards to informants leading to arrests and allows sustainable collection of renewable flora and fauna by registered individuals under specific restrictions.

Suchada: Meet the reluctant star of Thailand’s cryptic crypto drama

Yesterday 15:38 Key points summarised by AI

Thai MP Suchada Zhang Thaensap faces intense scrutiny over her husband’s substantial 1.84 billion baht wealth, with opposition lawmakers alleging connections to international scam networks.
A significant portion of her husband, Taiyang Zhang's, declared assets includes a 1.44 billion baht loan to the now-bankrupt cryptocurrency hedge fund Three Arrows Capital, which still owes him 1.34 billion baht.
Opposition MP Rangsiman Rome accused Suchada's husband of links to online scam networks and gambling sites, prompting Suchada to vehemently deny the claims, demand evidence, and file a defamation complaint.
Taiyang Zhang's background includes co-founding Ren Protocol, later sold to Alameda Research (linked to the FTX collapse), and some of his former associates have been convicted in crypto company failures.
Suchada, a former actress and first-time MP, maintains her husband's innocence, while her party leaders have distanced themselves from the allegations, deeming it a private matter.