Latest news with #PaulWilliams
The Star
5 days ago
- The Star
Laos beams with pride as national park gains world heritage status
Hin Nam No National Park in Khammouane Province, Laos, becomes the fourth Unesco World Heritage Site of the country. - Photo: GIZ ProFEB/Paul Williams VIENTIANE: Laos' Hin Nam No National Protected Area was officially inscribed as a Unesco World Heritage Site, sparking excitement across Lao society, with many seeing it as a major milestone in showcasing Laos' rich natural heritage and commitment to protect valuable natural resources. The national park became the country's fourth world heritage site, holding special significance as it forms part of a transboundary extension of the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, a world heritage site in Vietnam, the first transboundary natural world heritage site shared between Laos and Vietnam. Jenchila, an office worker in the Lao capital Vientiane, expressed deep pride and joy over the announcement. She also praised the efforts of all relevant sectors and officials who made the achievement possible. "For a small country like ours, this is a huge moment. It shows the world that Laos has something truly special to offer, not just in culture, but also in natural beauty and biodiversity. I think every Lao person should feel proud of this achievement," Jenchila told Xinhua on Saturday (July 19). Jenchila also expressed hope that this success would inspire greater efforts to protect other significant natural and cultural sites in Laos, and encourage more global recognition of the country's rich heritage. Khamsavanh, a 27-year-old resident of southern Laos' Savannakhet province, called on the Lao government to promote this achievement more widely, so that people across the country, as well as Lao communities abroad, can recognise its significance. "I hope this recognition becomes a turning point for environmental awareness in Laos," he said. "When I was in school, we learned that Laos has rich natural resources, and I've always hoped that every Lao person keeps that in mind. But to preserve this richness for the long term, we all need to join hands and take responsibility to protect what we have," he added. "I'm truly proud of this achievement and want to thank everyone who worked hard to make it happen," said Nidthida, a resident of Vientiane. She added that officials at all levels and local communities should continue working closely to protect the park through strong conservation measures, education, and active involvement of local people to keep the area safe and healthy. After the park was officially inscribed as a Unesco World Heritage Site, the news quickly went viral on social media in Laos. Many people shared articles about the achievement and expressed their happiness, pride, and excitement over the recognition. Hin Nam No National Protected Area is a natural marvel that spans an area of 94,121 hectares in southeastern Laos. This biodiverse and stunningly beautiful protected zone shelters some of the planet's most spectacular and mysterious biodiversity, and harbours an array of ecosystems, including pristine forests, majestic waterfalls, and intricate cave systems. The park is home to an incredible range of species, including rare and exotic birds, mammals, reptiles, and plants, and is home to several ethnic minority groups, with their unique traditions, customs, and ways of life. - Xinhua
RNZ News
18-07-2025
- RNZ News
More than 60kg of methamphetamine, worth $22m, seized at Auckland Airport
Auckland International Airport. Photo: DEAN TREML Customs officers at Auckland International Airport seized more than 60 kilograms of methamphetamine with an estimated street value of more than $22 million, from two bags overnight. The unaccompanied duffle bags, which arrived on a flight from Malaysia, were identified by Customs officers undertaking routine screening of incoming passengers and baggage, Customs Auckland Airport manager Paul Williams said. The officers discovered vacuum-sealed packages inside the bags, which tested positive for methamphetamine. One bag contained 30kg of the Class A drug and the other, 30.3kg. Williams said the quantity of methamphetamine had an estimated street value of $22.6 million, and could have caused around $63.26 million in potential harm and cost to New Zealand. He credited the intercept to the "eagle-eyed and highly skilled Customs officers who once again prevented harmful drugs from entering the community". "Its been a demanding year for Customs officers at Auckland International Airport, with organised criminal groups attempting to move increasingly large volumes of illicit drugs through the border," Williams said. "While we work hard to support law-abiding travellers during the school holiday travel period, our officers remain alert to tactics such as drug couriers and unaccompanied luggage. "This seizure is a clear result of strong intelligence, trusted partnerships, and frontline vigilance, and it sends a strong message to those seeking to exploit our border." Williams said everyone had a role to play in protecting New Zealand's border and communities from illegal drugs. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Newsroom
15-07-2025
- Newsroom
Stemming the drug tide at Auckland Airport
The trickle of drugs into the country has become a flood, fed by New Zealanders' appetite for them and willingness to pay. Between January and May this year customs officers nationwide seized more than 1600kg of methamphetamine, cocaine and MDMA. About a third of that comes through Auckland Airport – from January 1 until now it's seized 542kg of methamphetamine and cocaine. Today on The Detail we head out to the business end of customs to get the inside view. Customs manager Paul Williams says they're dealing with an increasing number of smuggling attempts, and some of the culprits don't even try to hide it. 'The biggest shift that we've seen is no concealment whatsoever. So we're seeing criminal groups using couriers and you open up the bag and the drugs are sitting there,' he says. Williams puts the change down to criminals becoming more confident. 'It's a confidence they have, with respect to what they're doing and I expect like any business they perhaps operate at a level of understanding of what type of wastage or what type of level of drugs they may lose with respects to their efforts,' he says. Customs manager at Auckland Airport, Paul Williams. Photo: Supplied When Williams started out in the sector a little over two decades ago, drug trafficking was an occasional event, and when it happened the substances were meticulously concealed. But nowadays drugs are found in mail or cargo every day. On just one flight there was a haul of 101kg. Tracking and uncovering the drugs involves casting a broad net. 'It's not just an officer in a booth, we may have a dog operating … we work really closely with international partners around trends, observations, their own experiences and that helps us look at people in advance through the data the airlines have,' Williams says. A large amount of the illicit drug market comes out of parts of South America and Asia, but Williams says that doesn't mean they focus only on people and luggage from those places. 'The key thing to remember is that for New Zealand, we receive multiple flights and multiple vessels from a host of different trade routes and passenger routes … and so criminal groups will always look to try to hide where things are coming from,' he says. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime says organised criminal networks are driving the illicit drug trade, with devastating consequences for people and communities around the world. It says stopping drug trafficking requires long-term coordinated action to address supply and demand, and to prevent organised criminal groups from exploiting vulnerabilities. Williams says there's significant investment in offshore operations because the best-case scenario is catching the drugs before they get here. 'It's a real win for New Zealand because, just purely from a fiscal perspective, you don't have a court process, you don't have that lead-in time to the court process, you don't have drugs that you have to store and then eventually dispose of. 'You don't run the risk of those drugs actually entering society and having all the actual harm that comes from the consumption from those drugs,' he says. Williams says the nature of drug trafficking has changed a lot over the years, so reflecting and learning from past cases is essential. 'We've done a lot in the export space … to help and protect the primary exporters of New Zealand, helping them secure their supply chain a bit more and then they get trade-offs through the Authorised Economic Operator programme … faster access to market essentially. 'We work really closely with DHL, FedEx, a host of other facilitators of imported goods and we look to educate them on what it is that we see at the border and we talk to them about exploitation, we talk to them about vulnerabilities within the supply chain. 'The more that they understand how the supply chain works and where the vulnerabilities are the more they are attuned to what's going on and that then results in them talking to us and they can often come to us and say 'We think we've got an issue here,' and we will go in and we'll help them.' Check out how to listen to and follow The Detail here. You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter.
RNZ News
15-07-2025
- RNZ News
Battling the flood of drugs at Auckland Airport
Drugs siezed by Customs in February 2025. Photo: Customs / supplied The trickle of drugs into the country has become a flood, fed by New Zealanders' appetite for them and willingness to pay. Between January and May this year Customs officers nationwide seized more than 1600 kgs of methamphetamine, cocaine and MDMA. About a third of that comes through Auckland Airport - it has seized 542kg of methamphetamine and cocaine so far this year. Today on The Detail we head out to the business end of customs there to get the inside view of what's going on. Customs manager Paul Williams says they are dealing with an increasing number of smuggling attempts, and some of the culprits do not even try to hide it. "The biggest shift that we've seen is no concealment whatsoever. So we're seeing criminal groups using couriers and you open up the bag and the drugs are sitting there," he says. Williams puts the change down to criminals becoming more confident. "It's a confidence they have, with respect to what they're doing and I expect like any business they perhaps operate at a level of understanding of what type of wastage or what type of level of drugs they may lose with respects to their efforts," he says. When Williams started out in the sector, a little over two decades ago, drug trafficking was an occasional event, and when it happened the substances were meticulously concealed. But nowadays drugs are found in mail or cargo every day. On just one flight there was a haul of 101 kg. Customs manager at Auckland Airport, Paul Williams Photo: Customs NZ Tracking and uncovering the drugs involves casting a broad net. "It's not just an officer in a booth, we may have a dog operating... we work really closely with international partners around trends, observations, their own experiences and that helps us look at people in advance through the data the airlines have," Williams says. A large amount of the illicit drug market comes out of parts of South America and Asia, but Williams says that doesn't mean they only focus on people and luggage coming from those places. "The key thing to remember is that for New Zealand, we receive multiple flights and multiple vessels from a host of different trade routes and passenger routes... and so criminal groups will always look to try to hide where things are coming from," he says. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime says organised criminal networks are driving the illicit drug trade, with devastating consequences for people and communities around the world. It says stopping drug trafficking requires long-term co-ordinated action to address supply and demand, and to prevent organised criminal groups from exploiting vulnerabilities. Williams says there is significant investment in offshore operations because best case scenario is catching the drugs before they even get here. "It's a real win for New Zealand because, just purely from a fiscal perspective, you don't have a court process, you don't have that lead in time to the court process, you don't have drugs that you have to store and then eventually dispose of. "You don't run the risk of those drugs actually entering society and having all the actual harm that comes from the consumption from those drugs," he says. Williams says the nature of drug trafficking has changed a lot over the years, so reflecting and learning from past cases is essential. "We've done a lot in the export space... to help and protect the primary exporters of New Zealand, helping them secure their supply chain a bit more and then they get trade-offs through the Authorised Economic Operator programme... faster access to market essentially. "We work really closely with DHL, FedEx, a host of other facilitators of imported goods and we look to educate them on what it is that we see at the border and we talk to them about exploitation, we talk to them about vulnerabilities within the supply chain. "The more that they understand how the supply chain works and where the vulnerabilities are the more they are attuned to what's going on and that then results in them talking to us and they can often come to us and say 'we think we've got an issue here,' and we will go in and we'll help them." Check out how to listen to and follow The Detail here . You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter .
BBC News
08-07-2025
- General
- BBC News
Vandals trash Big Yellow Bus community garden project classroom
A community garden project in Dorset was faced with an urgent clean-up after its classroom was vandalised the day before the opening of its accessible room at the Big Yellow Bus Garden Project in Shillingstone, Dorset, was left unusable on Sunday after fire extinguishers were let off and shelves were trashed opening ceremony of new facilities for people with disabilities went ahead on Monday when the centre welcomed 70 Paul Williams urged the culprits to come forward and do some gardening work to make amends. Mr Williams said there had been about £100-worth of damage caused, including cakes that had been intended for sale which had been thrown said: "There's the loss of revenue from the cakes, Pepsi was opened and sprayed everywhere. "I don't even mind them being here if they want to hang out - the aim is that they come and do a little bit of gardening work to make amends, spend a couple of hours in the holidays so they have some investment in this project."The not-for-profit community interest company was founded six years ago and offers a community health and wellbeing space for anyone who wants to get and students travel from across England and food grown is donated to local food banks. You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
