Thai cop arrested with 20 elephant tusks

BANGKOK, Feb 3, 2013 (AFP) - A Thai policeman has been arrested after he was caught trying to smuggle 20 elephant tusks, officials said Sunday.

The haul was discovered when the suspect -- in plain clothes but driving a police van -- was stopped at a checkpoint in the southern province of Chumphon on Saturday, Police Colonel Chalard Polnakarn told AFP.

"We found 10 pairs of elephant tusks in the van and charged him with illegal possession of elephant tusks, which he confessed to during the investigation," Chalard said.

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The origin of the tusks was unclear. International trade in elephant ivory, with rare exceptions, has been outlawed since 1989.

But a rise in the illegal trade in ivory has been fuelled by demand in Asia and the Middle East, where elephant tusks are used in traditional medicines and to make ornaments.

Conservationists say ivory from Africa is often smuggled into Thailand and passed off as coming from Thai elephants, as a legal loophole allows the legal trade in ivory from domesticated elephants.

Wildlife campaign group Freeland praised the latest seizure as a "valiant act of fighting corruption to protect wildlife".

"We need more officers like them to fight this new form of transnational organised crime," Freeland director Steven Galster said in a statement.

Freeland said that in the past year thousands of tusks had been seized as they were smuggled into Asia from Africa due to "rampant elephant poaching".

It comes as Thailand prepares to host the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) in Bangkok in March.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2013-02-03

P.M. Yingluck, this is but only 1 of thousands of corrupt persons in positions of responsibility, If corruption is to be wiped out, YOU KNOW where to start. (thats if you are interested)

BIB pull up a police van at the checkpoint. Mmmmmm........perhaps there's more to this?

BIB pull up a police van at the checkpoint. Mmmmmm........perhaps there's more to this?

Someone must have made a trunk call.

BIB pull up a police van at the checkpoint. Mmmmmm........perhaps there's more to this?

Quite. One suspects the campaign group would not be praising the 'valiant efforts' of an officer who, by happenstance, stumbled across the haul, but rather whoever provided the tip-off to stop a police vehicle in the first place.

It comes as Thailand prepares to host the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) in Bangkok in March.

Doesn't look good does it?

I mean a BIB at that. Someone who is supposed to uphold law and order. Just shows the state of law enforcement in Thailand.

I should gather up all these stories and put them in a book, " How to make money in Thailand with a badge".......

This kind of story is not a one in a million, it seems to be a weekly feature of the news.

Fire them all, and start fresh. The " police" here are simply beneath contempt. Rather than being upholders

of the law, they seem to be mostly an object of mirth and amazement here on TV. So maybe they do have

a purpose in the greater scheme of things...

I like the image of the police truck, that was a nice touch. Sort of reminds me of the police truck used for

the yaba dealing police, or the police truck used to transport Burmese refugees the police were selling, or, or, or.......

Edited February 3, 201313 yr by EyesWideOpen

I speculate that the cop with the ten tusks was a mere distraction from the real business going on elsewhere .

I think we need a new sub-forum for crimes committed by the Thai police.

I think we need a new sub-forum for crimes committed by the Thai police.

We'll need more bandwidth.

I think we need a new sub-forum for crimes committed by the Thai police.

I agree !!!! If you actually gathered up every police gone bad story for one year, I think it would be astonishing in its scope.

There are so many I can hardly keep track of them..

BIB pull up a police van at the checkpoint. Mmmmmm........perhaps there's more to this?

someone didn't get his share....

But I think no problem, in a day or two everything will be fixed and it was just an honest misunderstanding.

Why would the cops stop a cop vehicle?

big tusk tusk to him....naughty boy

Think he will get a posting to an office job, like most of his senior officers do when they get caught red handed.

I'm waiting for further headlines...cop caught selling pornography, cop caught accepting bribes, cop caught in brothel, all of which I have seen personally.

The correct words in the OP are, "beyond contempt".

I think we need a new sub-forum for crimes committed by the Thai police.

I agree !!!! If you actually gathered up every police gone bad story for one year, I think it would be astonishing in its scope.

There are so many I can hardly keep track of them..

From what I have heard they are told in their initial training to make as much money as they can. Probably the reason why there are so many applicants...

This is a great illustration of the Thai cop "franchise." Policing in Thailand is a "franchise." The winners of the franchise, paying the highest bribe to get the "franchise," then pay royalties on their take for the rest of their careers. These tusks were probably diverted out of the normal Thai skim network, a call was made, and the top tusk cop franchisor put a call out. These tusks will recirculate back into the "proper" cop franchise channel after a while of photo ops and kudos from wildlife groups. Then the story will die. The cop stopped in the van who broke the chain will be reassigned to food vendor stalls in Lop Buri. No further word in the newspaper.

P.M. Yingluck, this is but only 1 of thousands of corrupt persons in positions of responsibility, If corruption is to be wiped out, YOU KNOW where to start. (thats if you are interested)

Yes exactly, a bent Thai cop who would have thought ?

Surely this policeman should be moved sideways, and then appointed director of a national-park, so that he can pursue his commercial-business more conveniently, with appropriate commissions up-the-ranks ?

Cue photo-op for lady-PM with cute cuddly baby-elephant (now orphaned ?) to declare that this story must be wrong, because she is totally in-charge, and has declared an end to corruption several times over ?

BIB pull up a police van at the checkpoint. Mmmmmm........perhaps there's more to this?

Like not sharing the profits upstairs.

I'm waiting for further headlines...cop caught selling pornography, cop caught accepting bribes, cop caught in brothel, all of which I have seen personally.

One of my neighbors has a 24/7 hi-low game going. It is funded by a Lt. Col in a city nor far from here. Every day at about 11am a police truck comes, cop gets out, collects the money and off he goes. Some days two of the local BIB come and try their luck.

cbrer. post # 9

I think we need a new sub-forum for crimes committed by the Thai police.

I note a typo in your post surely it should read thus.

I think we need a new hub created for crimes committed by the Thai police.

Edited February 4, 201313 yr by siampolee

Bellweather post # 20

Yes exactly, a bent Thai cop who would have thought ?

Isn't there one of those not so rare breed residing in Dubai at the moment ?

BIB pull up a police van at the checkpoint. Mmmmmm........perhaps there's more to this?

Someone must have made a trunk call.

A special police "tusk force" has been set up!

Shocked and totally surprised that a BIB is crooked - NOT! Seriously if Thailand did have any bad news to report then the papers would be devoid of any content. You cannot stop corruption in country that is corrupt from the very top to the very bottom.

Why would the cops stop a cop vehicle?

Past the 30 days with no number plate .................................

Does 20 tusks top 62 grenades?

I wonder if the BIB checked to see if the tusks were hollowed out and had something interesting inside?