Every weekend, Bangkok's sprawling Chatuchak market is filled with young Thais buying the latest styles and sunburned tourists looking for souvenirs.
But shopping is not the priority for one group of local college students roaming among the stalls in the Chatuchak, or JJ, market.
Instead, they are looking for animals being traded illegally.
The 30 students are known as "JJ spies" -- additional eyes and ears to help combat the illegal wildlife trade in and around Bangkok's biggest market under a program launched by US-based animal rights group WildAid.
"They are aware of the issues and they want to make a difference," said William Schaedla, the deputy chief of party at WildAid, in Bangkok.
Kosess Somkid, a student at King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, said as a member of his school's environmental club he had jumped on the opportunity to take part in the JJ spy training class.
"I did not hesitate to apply because I wanted to be a part of helping to keep the wildlife in the wild as much as possible," he says.
While most of the wildlife for sale at Chatuchak market comprises legal animals -- there are also endangered animals like wild birds, rare reptiles and slow loris being sold and traded, WildAid said.
The illegal wildlife trade spills out into a smaller neighboring market and side streets, with dealers setting up temporary stalls and selling animals out of the back of their cars, Schaedla says.
Kosess says he has learned how to identify protected wildlife species and animals that are illegally traded in Thailand.
"We found so many shops selling protected bird species openly," he sayid. "I guess they are aware of acting against the law but they aren't afraid at all."
Under Thai wildlife laws, a smuggler could face up to four years in prison or a fine of about 40,000 baht (US$1,100).
But the illegal wildlife trade remains rampant even though police often raid Chatuchak.
"People see it as quick cash with low risk," said Petch Manopawitr, the deputy director at the Wildlife Conservation Society's Thailand chapter.
The illegal wildlife trade is the third most profitable source of global criminal earnings after drug trafficking and the arms trade, according to animal rights groups.
Thailand, with its highly developed infrastructure and location, has become a transportation center for the illicit animal trade in Southeast Asia, they say.
Last month, a group of 48 orangutans smuggled from Indonesia to Thailand was returned home, two years after they were discovered in a Bangkok zoo.
Animal products like the fur of Tibetan antelopes, tiger parts and scaly anteaters called pangolins are also being transported across Thai borders illegally bound for other countries, most often China, WildAid says.
So far this year, Thai authorities have confiscated wildlife being illegally transported 14 times, compared to only four seizures in last year.
The animals found this year include dozens of wild birds being illegally traded at Chatuchak market, WildAid says.
Police also seized some 15 star tortoises and 185 chameleons at Thai airports.
To combat wildlife trade in Southeast Asia, ASEAN last year set up the Wildlife Law Enforcement Network aimed at boosting cross-border cooperation and information flows.
Meanwhile, animal rights groups say programs like the JJ spy project represent good first steps to raise public awareness about the illegal animal trade and to build an informal network of people committed to stopping it.
Kosess said he had already shared what he learned at the JJ spy training course with other students.
"We all understand that everyone's cooperation, not only from related government agencies, but also from the public, will play the biggest part in solving this problem," Kosess said.
Republican US lawmakers on Friday criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration after sanctioned Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei unveiled a laptop this week powered by an Intel artificial intelligence (AI) chip. The US placed Huawei on a trade restriction list in 2019 for contravening Iran sanctions, part of a broader effort to hobble Beijing’s technological advances. Placement on the list means the company’s suppliers have to seek a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to it. One such license, issued by then-US president Donald Trump’s administration, has allowed Intel to ship central processors to Huawei for use in laptops since 2020. China hardliners
A top Vietnamese property tycoon was on Thursday sentenced to death in one of the biggest corruption cases in history, with an estimated US$27 billion in damages. A panel of three hand-picked jurors and two judges rejected all defense arguments by Truong My Lan, chair of major developer Van Thinh Phat, who was found guilty of swindling cash from Saigon Commercial Bank (SCB) over a decade. “The defendant’s actions ... eroded people’s trust in the leadership of the [Communist] Party and state,” read the verdict at the trial in Ho Chi Minh City. After the five-week trial, 85 others were also sentenced on
‘DELUSIONAL’: Targeting the families of Hamas’ leaders would not push the group to change its position or to give up its demands for Palestinians, Ismail Haniyeh said Israeli aircraft on Wednesday killed three sons of Hamas’ top political leader in the Gaza Strip, striking high-stakes targets at a time when Israel is holding delicate ceasefire negotiations with the militant group. Hamas said four of the leader’s grandchildren were also killed. Ismail Haniyeh’s sons are among the highest-profile figures to be killed in the war so far. Israel said they were Hamas operatives, and Haniyeh accused Israel of acting in “the spirit of revenge and murder.” The deaths threatened to strain the internationally mediated ceasefire talks, which appeared to gain steam in recent days even as the sides remain far
RAMPAGE: A Palestinian man was left dead after dozens of Israeli settlers searching for a missing 14-year-old boy stormed a village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank US President Joe Biden on Friday said he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner, rather than later” and warned Tehran not to proceed. Asked by reporters about his message to Iran, Biden simply said: “Don’t,” underscoring Washington’s commitment to defend Israel. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said. Biden said he would not divulge secure information, but said his expectation was that an attack could come “sooner, rather than later.” Israel braced on Friday for an attack by Iran or its proxies as warnings grew of