Thailand launches project on raising regional tiger population

BANGKOK, January 7 (TNA) - Thailand's Department of National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation organized a training course on quality patrols for concerned authorities in Southeast Asia this week, aimed to suppress wildlife trafficking and increase the number of tigers in the region. The department, together with the Smithsonian Institution and the World Bank, hosted the training for authorities of seven member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), namely Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar and Indonesia, in which US Ambassador to Thailand Kristie Kenney participated. The department's Deputy Director-General Theerapat Prayoonsitthi, said Thailand has been internationally recognized for continuously increasing the number of its tigers in the wild with technological application and strict patrols, resulting in the country's tiger population having risen to about 250 and expected to further rise by 125 this year. (TNA)