European Scientists arrested in Chiang Mai

Welcome to foreign countries!

I won't call Thailand third-world, but this type of problem is rampant. If one doesn't accidentally get into the wrong area, corruption, boredom, jealously, etc can land a collector in the same position. Who that travels hasn't been through a shake-down by police?

And it isn't just developing countries. A couple years ago two German tourists were arrested while arriving into NYC because they had automatic knives ("switchblades"). While being totally legal in Germany (and in most areas of USA) they aren't legal for import into NY. The Germans were perplexed, offering that they had no clue that pocket knives could be illegal in a country awash with firearms. That one would think this way is defensible. But instead of being freed of their knives they made it on CNN. Welcome to USA!

Whether home or overseas, I am more watchful of the police than criminal elements.

Ah yes, you are from the land where one must be of age and/or licensed to purchase tableware.

I suppose armchair "travelers" may never need one. But beyond convenience, the ability to open with one hand and/or open quickly can make the difference between life and death.

P.S. I have in fact traveled to many counties including the U.S.A and have never needed to carry a knife.

Translated in English : translate.google.it/translate?hl=fr&sl=de&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insectanostra.de%2Findex.php%2FThread%2F1371-Vier-bekannte-Entomologen-in-Thailand-verhaftet%2F%3FpostID%3D3700

Once again, a real shame for Thailand authorities...

Here again the big question of collecting permits (and export) in protected areas (or for some countries, on the whole territory).

As for me, I most often provided with operating license in accordance with local legislation. Especially, of course, for these protected areas.

However, the question as a whole, is not just to know what is legal or not. It is possible that in some European countries, such as Slovakia, things are rational or idyllic (National Parks being effectively safeguarded and respected by all), it goes very differently in the Tropics!

In most of these tropical countries (Asia, Africa, the Neotropics), National Parks are often (and hypocritically) to give a clear conscience to the bureaucratic coalition of politicians (more or less corrupted) and environmentalists (most often ignorant entomological realities). It prohibits the collect of insects (and offenders, especially foreigners, are sent to prison). At the same time, deforestation continues briskly (in the protected area!), Loggers cut down rare and precious trees (and other species sought for access), poachers act, and local collectors kill huge amount of insects.

The most typical case is that of Brazil where every collecting is prohibited, but where the airport shops are filled with butterflies for sale, souvenirs made of butterfly wings, and so on. Of course, these said local poiticiens (including police) receive their "envelope" from the loggers, collectors, destroyers of forests!

In many of these countries (and I think Thailand is a good example), nowadays the situation boils down to this: one side, Parks where collect is prohibited, on the other, the anthropic areas cultivated, where you will find only ubiquitous and common species. Of course, having the authorization, we may collect in the park, after months or years of bureaucratic procedures for obtaining that license !!

We can not be satisfied with a smug and naive compliance with laws call, knowing that these laws are often violated by those on site are responsible for environmental protection.


Finally, and this is an important (and often overlooked by those who discuss this) point you can not put on the same level protection of rhinos and tigers that of insects. On the one hand, a few hundreds (or even just a few tens of individuals remaining life), the other of millions. Collecting butterflies in a rainforest, we will be glad to catch a few along one of the few paths for entering the forest when millions others remain completely inaccessible!

At the risk of repeating myself, nowadays, in most tropical countries (the situation is different in the Palaearctic area), protected areas are more or less like the alibi of politicians who, every day, approve, otherwise encourage, massive deforestation.

Here are some legal (totally legal !!) collect authorizations :

Another point is noteworthy.

Scientists and amateurs "only concerned with enriching their personal collection" are opposed. Assuming that the first easily have collecting permissions when others do not deserve.

They forget (it must be remembered in this entomological forum?) that entomology is largely developed through the contributions of amateurs "concerned about their personal collection!" These amateurs do not have, more often, the opportunity to enjoy the institutional support to enable them to make representations to the environmental authorities in tropical countries.

I do not know what is in the idyllic Slovakia. For cons, I know that in France the state finance a handful of scientists. And I presume it is the same for most countries. Without the contribution of amateurs, financing their own travel, many species will become extinct before they have been described.

Call for strict compliance with regulations (even the outliers), in this era of massive habitat destruction, is to paralyze the entomological science.