UNESCO yet to consider Kaeng Krachan forest as natural world heritage site

13 Sept 08:19 Key points summarised by AI

UNESCO's World Heritage Committee postponed the decision on Thailand's Kaeng Krachan forest complex due to unresolved issues concerning the rights of the Karen ethnic group living in the area.
Thailand's delegation emphasized efforts to improve community rights laws and addressed border concerns by downsizing the forest territory by 15%, though committee members remain divided over human rights issues.
The Karen Network for Culture and Environment (KNCE) issued a statement demanding community-based management, self-determination, and recognition of their traditional livelihoods, vowing not to endorse the site without these enactments.
The Kaeng Krachan forest complex, nominated for its significant biodiversity and containing threatened species, has been on UNESCO's tentative list since 2011.

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.