Phitsanulok forest officials get skills training

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Forest officials get skills training
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- An intense 15-day course is underway at a forestry office in Phitsanulok province to impart special and survival skills to forest rangers under a project aimed at making them as competent as US special operations personnel, office director Amorn Torcharoen said.

The 100 trainees, based in Phitsanulok, Phetchabun and Uttaradit, are being trained by eight instructors, selected from a large number of forestry rangers who graduated from a course provided last year by US police and marines. The course is organised by the internationally-aided, Freeland Foundation, which has operations in four other countries.

There are 25 such instructors attached to the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, who are capable of mastering jungle survival, reading of maps and compasses, special arrest techniques and basic rescue operations, said Amorn.

The "Phya Sua" (King Tigers) rangers are also capable of diving, search, and marine infiltration and exfiltration after attending certain courses provided by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation and US Navy Seals, said Theeraphol Kanchanakomol, the chief instructor.

Meanwhile, civilian and military authorities on Wednesday raided 10 illegally acquired plots of land located in three national parks in Loei, with a retreat home and several fruit plantations on the properties.

Fruit plantations in many of the plots, totalling 787 rai, have unauthorised signs saying "Royal projects", most likely to keep people away. The raid found no suspects. The plots are now off-limits pending verification, to be followed by demolition.

The 10 plots are located in Phu Rua, Pa Phu Puey and Pa Phu Kheethao national parks.

An unnamed official said the plots had previously been raided and yielded some suspects, mostly farmers and workers, who were prosecuted for processing logs.

The workers were sentenced by a court order but the cases involving forest encroachment, which involved owners of the plots such as businessmen, officials and privileged people, were dropped either by prosecutors or the police, he added.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Forest-officials-get-skills-training-30242583.html


-- The Nation 2014-09-05

[worgeordie]

I hope they can catch the loggers BEFORE they cut the trees down,

and not after ,when they are planks or logs ,been transported.

regards Worgeordie

[JoePai]

aimed at making them as competent as US special operations personnel

Yep 15 days should do it, why waste months training as in the US ...

[doremifasol]

15 whole days training!!!

Wowwww.........they even made it to the news!!!!!!!

[DrLom]

"There are 25 such instructors attached to the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, who are capable of mastering jungle survival, reading of maps and compasses, special arrest techniques and basic rescue operations, said Amorn."

Cool. They can read maps and compasses, as we all did in primary school, and pull a gun as well as call 1669. Super super dhuuppa!

[chainarong]

Another short cut to excellence, Thailand seems to hold in the belief that short cut quick fix training of anything including education solves all problems, sorry it doesn't and if and when Thai starts it's Medium speed trains , one hopes that shortcuts are not included in the training curriculum for new starters.

[Triplebank999]

I hope they can catch the loggers BEFORE they cut the trees down,

and not after ,when they are planks or logs ,been transported.

regards Worgeordie

This is not about illegal loggers, they have already been prosecuted. This time the issue is forest encroachment involving orchards and homes.

[Kasset Tak]

aimed at making them as competent as US special operations personnel

Yep 15 days should do it, why waste months training as in the US ...

It says that its a project and a project can be more than just one 15 day course! At the college where I work we are running a project for OVEC and Department of Agriculture,now it's almost finished... after 4 years!

[Triplebank999]

It's a pity they couldn't have aimed a little higher and made them as competent as British special operations personnel.

[Ulic]

They may be great jungle fighters but I have not met a Thai yet who could read a road map let alone a topographic

map so I am glad to hear that it is part of the training upgrade.

[ChrisY1]

Train them to the US standard Special Operations Personnel....15 days??....seems that the forrestry officials are having a "knock Americans day"........

But I'm sure the US would spend a little more than 15 days to train their guys!