June 20, 2016
ASIA / PACIFIC
THE ASIAN REPORTER n Page 5
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TIGERS IN TROUBLE. A Thai Buddhist monk gives water to a tiger from a bottle at the “Tiger Temple” in
Saiyok district in Kanchanaburi province, west of Bangkok, Thailand, in this February 12, 2015 file photo. A Bud-
dhist temple has denied that its abbot was involved in illegal trafficking of tigers at a news conference that was its
first detailed response since Thailand’s wildlife authority removed scores of big cats from the popular tourist at-
traction and found dead cubs in jars and freezers. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File)
Thai temple denies abbot
involved in trafficking of tigers
By Tassanee Vejpongsa
The Associated Press
K
ANCHANABURI, Thailand — A
Buddhist temple has denied that
its abbot was involved in illegal
trafficking of tigers at a news conference
that was its first detailed response since
Thailand’s wildlife authority removed
scores of big cats from the popular tourist
attraction and found dead cubs in jars and
freezers.
“What happened here seems to suggest
that many crimes were committed,” said
Siri Wangboongerd, a spokesman of the
temple in Kanchanaburi, about 120 miles
west of Bangkok. “But what happened
here wasn’t done by the abbot because he
does not manage this place,” he told
journalists on the temple premises.
As he spoke, the abbot, Phra Wisutthi
Sarathera, appeared briefly, riding in a
golf cart which circled the news confer-
ence. But he did not address the journal-
ists. Police were present at the conference
as observers. The abbot has not been
charged with any crime.
Siri said the temple’s tourist trade is
managed by other people and not by the
abbot. “There are news reports that this
temple is part of the tiger trade route to the
black market. How could we trade tigers?
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Who would do such a thing? This is a
temple. This accusation is made without
evidence,” he said, in the first compre-
hensive statement from the temple since
the scandal broke.
The temple, which had been heavily
promoted to tourists, charged admission
for visitors to take photos with the tigers
and walk them on leashes. Thailand’s
wildlife authority shut down the temple’s
animal activities in early June after the
discovery of dozens of cubs in freezers and
jars on the premises. It also removed more
than 137 tigers from the temple grounds to
rescue shelters. Police also discovered a
slaughterhouse and tiger holding facility
that they believe was linked to the temple
and used in a suspected animal-trafficking
network.
Animal-rights activists have long
accused the temple of mistreating its
tigers. The government suspects the
monks at the temple have been involved in
illegal breeding and trafficking of the ani-
mals. The temple resisted previous efforts
to take away the tigers, but relented after
police obtained a court order.
A day after seizing the tigers, police
stopped a monk and two other men in a
truck leaving the temple with two tiger
skins and a suitcase with tiger teeth.
U.N. says 65 million people displaced in 2015, a new record
GENEVA (AP) — The U.N. refugee
agency says persecution and conflict in
places like Syria and Afghanistan raised
the total number of refugees and
internally displaced people worldwide to a
record 65.3 million at the end of last year.
The previous year, 2014, had already
seen the highest number of refugees
worldwide since World War II, with 60
million displaced people. But last year —
when Europe staggered under the arrival
of large numbers of migrants — topped
that record by nearly 10 percent, UNHCR
said in unveiling its annual Global Trends
Report.
The Geneva-based agency urged leaders
from Europe and elsewhere to do more to
end the wars that are fanning the exodus
of people from their homelands.
“I hope that the message carried by
those forcibly displaced reaches the
leaderships: We need action, political
action, to stop conflicts,” said Filippo
Grandi, the U.N. High Commissioner for
Refugees. “The message that they have
carried is: ‘If you don’t solve problems,
problems will come to you.’”
With stark detail, UNHCR said that on
average, 24 people had been displaced
every minute of every day last year — or
34,000 people a day — up from six every
minute in 2005. Global displacement has
roughly doubled since 1997, and risen by
50 percent since 2011 alone — when the
Syria war began.
More than half of all refugees came from
three countries: Syria, Afghanistan, and
Somalia. Turkey was the “top host”
country for the second year running,
taking in 2.5 million people — nearly all
from neighboring Syria. Afghan neighbor
Pakistan had 1.6 million, while Lebanon,
next to Syria, hosted 1.1 million.
Grandi said policymakers and advocacy
groups
admittedly
face
daunting
challenges helping the largest subset of
displaced people: Some 40.8 million
internally displaced in countries in
conflict. Another 21.3 million were
refugees and some 3.2 million more were
seeking asylum. More than a million
people fled to Europe last year, causing a
political crisis in the EU.
Grandi called on countries to work to
fight
the
xenophobia
that
has
accompanied the rise in refugee
populations, and decried both physical
barriers — like fences erected by some
European countries — as well as legisla-
tive ones that limit access to richer, more
peaceful EU states.
Such European policies were “spreading
a negative example around the world,” he
said.
The staff at The AR wish you and your family a safe and happy Independence Day!