Crackdown On Illegal Ivory Trade: Thailand

[webfact]

CITES

Crackdown on traders as Cites looms

Janjira Pongrai

The Nation

Officials to monitor shops in lead-up to wildlife summit

BANGKOK: -- The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) is trying to better regulate the ivory trade in Thailand before the high-profile Cites conference kicks off in Bangkok early next month.

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The DNP will also work with a Cites team in conducting random checks at ivory shops in Thailand on Thursday as part of a measure to stamp out illegal ivory trade.

DNP chief Theerapat Prayurasiddhi vowed yesterday to enforce the law strictly.

The Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites) has informed Thailand to urgently address the smuggling of ivory from Africa.

Parties to Cites will gather in Thailand from March 3 to 14 for its 16th meeting.

Theerapat said the illegal ivory trade was a sensitive issue.

Nearly 300 entrepreneurs are engaged in the production, processing, and trade of ivory in Thailand. The ivory trade is legal here, as many elephants in the country are domesticated and issued identification papers. Non-government organisations (NGOs), however, have raised concerns about the smuggling of African elephants' ivory into Thailand.

Theerapat said 270 foreigners were arrested in immigration checkpoints in Europe and the United States over the past few years for carrying ivory products they had bought from Thailand. Over three tonnes of ivory was seized from them.

Although Thailand has no plan to ban ivory trade on its soil, Theerapat said the Kingdom would prove to CITES it had cracked down seriously on the trade of smuggled ivory.

Theerapat said his agency had already held discussions with relevant agencies and more than 10 Bangkok-based entrepreneurs to ensure strict compliance with laws governing the ivory trade. For example, entrepreneurs must identify the origin of ivory used for their products.

"If we find any shop fails to comply with our regulations, we will issue a warning the first time or perhaps the second time. But if the offence is repeated, we will ask the Commerce Ministry to revoke its licence," Theerapat said.

The DNP would hold similar discussions with entrepreneurs in 16 other provinces including Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Nakhon Sawan, Phuket, Surin and Phitsanulok over the next two weeks.

Theerapat said the DNP would also advise that shops avoid selling ivory products to foreign tourists.

Somkuan Maliwan, a representative from an ivory shop, said most ivory-product buyers were foreigners. "So, it will be hard to provide co-operation on this requirement. For others, we are willing to co-operate," she said.

-- The Nation 2013-02-20

[ChrisY1]

Unless ivory trade is stopped here in Thailand, there will always be an illicit trade here in elephant products from other countries.

A little ivory does get nabbed at the airport on it's inward bound trip....maybe the payments havn't gone through the right channels...maybe the customs people actually do find it, what ever...... there must be large quantites that pass through "undetected"....then it's Thai ivory..(in a sense)!

[jamhar]

I didnt realize that Dicaprio had that much power with the TL government.

Maybe he can whisper something about the education level, corruption, and the reliable cheap electricity?

[dcutman]

"If we find any shop fails to comply with our regulations, we will issue a warning the first time or perhaps the second time. But if the offence is repeated, we will ask the Commerce Ministry to revoke its licence," Theerapat said.

Now that is some strict enforcement!

[chooka]

Is it wednesday (crackdown day) already?

The photo looks more like timber than ivory.

Edited February 20, 2013 by chooka

[Mosha]

Someone should tell the police about this illegal activity.

[Katipo]

Leonardo Di Caprio for Prime Minister!

[Bobobirdiebuddy]

Instead of incessant "crackdowns", a consistently enforcing existing laws would be a far better idea.

[Kananga]

Instead of incessant "crackdowns", a consistently enforcing existing laws would be a far better idea.

Maybe a 'crackdown' on enforcing existing laws is in order?

[Thai at Heart]

I think he wants the legal trade stopped also, duh...

[slapout]

What a waste of newsprint as far as the DNP statement of what they will/plan to do. The markets selling endanger animals, animal parts, etc are widespread and there for the world/thai public to see, and the the only ones who seem to raise a fuss are the NGO's who point out the infractions to the Thai game keepers, customs, etc.

[Locationthailand]

It's all about supply and demand. The DNP can do what they like (this is hardly a crackdown now is it?) but the demand is there and thus Thailand will ignore the international condemnation of the trade. In Thailand it's always about the money...

[bigbamboo]

It would appear Thailand has actually managed to succeed in being a hub after all.

Unfortunately for it's national symbol, the elephant, it's for the ivory trade.

Who says Thai's don't do irony.

[MikeThaison]

I know why they are not having much luck, they have been confiscating TIMBER instead of IVORY! Someone teach these guys the difference between Elephant tusks and hardwoods. .

[Thai at Heart]

It would appear Thailand has actually managed to succeed in being a hub after all.

Unfortunately for it's national symbol, the elephant, it's for the ivory trade.

Who says Thai's don't do irony.

Well, they also appear to do blatent hypocrisy quite well too.

[tomross46]

The Government has been talking about a crack down on the ivory trade for more than 40 years. It is like all the other crack downs, flavor of the day. SSDD.