Asean embarks on collaborative effort to combat the menace of wildlife trafficking

[webfact]

Asean embarks on collaborative effort to combat the menace of wildlife trafficking

By PRATCH RUJIVANAROM 
THE NATION

 

File photo

 

THE REGION needs a clear action plan to tackle wildlife trafficking, experts stressed this past weekend as the leaders of Asean nations meeting in Bangkok endorsed the “Chiang Mai Statement of Asean Ministers Responsible for CITES and Wildlife Enforcement”.
 

The document’s goal is to address wildlife trafficking in the region.

 

Surapon Duangkhae of the Seub Nakhasathien Foundation said official efforts to combat wildlife crime remained disorganised and too weak, given the sophistication and scale of transnational trafficking networks.

 

“Dealing with wildlife trafficking is difficult because the illegal trade is very big transnational crime that generates massive profits for these crime lords,” Surapon said. 

 

“Most of the time, transnational wildlife crimes are closely connected to trafficking in illicit drugs and arms, but the responsible agencies in Thailand and other Asean countries still don’t have enough capacity or resources to deal with such a powerful crime network.”

 

He said most wildlife trafficking in Thailand is detected not through investigation but rather when officials stumble upon evidence at routine checkpoints or while inspecting shipments.

 

File photo

 

This demonstrates the authorities’ lack of capacity and readiness to suppress such crimes, he said.

 

“Rather than just a loose cooperative framework, we need a clear action plan to efficiently crack down on the networks, as well as intensive investigation and information gathering, to pin down the masterminds behind them,” Surapon said.

 

But Somkiat Soontornpitakkool, director of Wild Fauna and Flora Protection Division at the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, said the new regional framework under the Chiang Mai Statement will help. Asean member-states can better and more collaboratively engage the issue and improve the situation in the region, he said.

 

“Although the framework of the statement is very broad and there is no specific action plan to tackle wildlife crime as a whole, each member-state can now draft its own action plan to implement within national boundaries,” Somkiat said. 

 

And those efforts will take place in “close collaboration with the regional framework”.

 

“The responsible agencies of each country will also meet, discuss and plan their work together at least once a year in order to ensure the systematic suppression of transnational wildlife crime as a whole,” he said.

 

Such regional collaboration is essential in combating transnational crime networks, for which Southeast Asia is a hotspot as a vital trafficking route for tusks and other body parts, Somkiat said. 

 

Even if one country performs well in suppressing the trade, the traffickers can easily move their transportation routes elsewhere, he noted.

 

“Asean’s integrated tackling framework will also help boost cooperation to deter trafficking between this region and others that are involved in the networks,” he said.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30371616

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-06-24

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[George Bowman]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

He said most wildlife trafficking in Thailand is detected not through investigation but rather when officials stumble upon evidence at routine checkpoints or while inspecting shipments.

The first thing I noticed was the amulets...

 

[yellowboat]

The "embarking" should have happened over 30 years ago.  You have Thai mega rich killing wild animals for fun.  You have serious lack of habitat due to deforestation.  

4 hours ago, webfact said:

when officials stumble upon evidence

"Stumble" pretty much sums it up.  You cannot fight crime by stumbling.

[seajae]

they need to block the country that is creating the need for it, china, with them out of the way it would no longer be necessary for most of the world animal problems

 

[Vacuum]

2 hours ago, missoura said:

The first thing I noticed was the amulets...

 

My eyes darted to the pretties on the big sreen...

[Pedrogaz]

Why not start by making an example of the Thai-Italian construction company? Whatever happened to the hoard of ivory that his wife supposedly owned? Ddi she ever get prosecuted? Or has she still got the ivory?

[Cake Monster]

8 hours ago, seajae said:

they need to block the country that is creating the need for it, china, with them out of the way it would no longer be necessary for most of the world animal problems

 

Never going to happen

Too much money involved, supplying great Uncle in Beijing.