Customs Dept continues crackdown on ivory trade

Customs Dept continues crackdown on ivory trade

Thammarat Thadaphrom

BANGKOK, 27th October 2018 (NNT) – The Customs Department has vowed to continue its fight against the ivory trade despite Thailand’s removal from the CITES blacklist. 

The 70th meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in Russia resolved to remove Thailand from the blacklist of countries involved in the illegal ivory trade. 

Between 2014 and 2018, the Royal Thai Police and the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) seized a total of 4.5 tons of elephant tusks being smuggled in and out of the country. 

Thailand was one of eight nations that CITES marked as a source, transit or destination country of illegally traded ivory. 

According to the DNP, the standing committee of CITES was satisfied with Thailand’s efforts to crack down on the illegal trade of ivory tusks, thus deleting it from CITES National Ivory Action Plan (NIAP). 

Members of the public are advised to call the hotline 1362 at anytime around the clock to report illegal activities involving ivory trade and smuggling. 

 

-- nnt 2018-10-27