Thai Airport Officials Linked To Rhino Trade: Police

[webfact]

Thai airport officials linked to rhino trade: police

BANGKOK, March 5, 2013 (AFP) - Thai authorities said Tuesday they would seek arrest warrants for three police officers allegedly involved in trafficking rhino horn through Bangkok's main airport.

The horn was brought into Suvarnabhumi Airport in January by Vietnamese migrant workers paid $500 per trip, said Narasak Hemnithi, commander of the Natural Resources Environmental Crime Division.

"After arriving in Bangkok they were asked to put the rhino horn on a trolley and leave it somewhere nobody could see and then police would come and collect it," he told AFP.

"We have evidence, especially closed circuit television footage," he added.

In early January a Vietnamese man was arrested after leaving rhino horn worth more than half a million dollars in unattended luggage at Suvarnabhumi.

Illegal hunting of rhinos has risen in recent years to meet surging demand for their horns in parts of Asia, in particular Vietnam where they are highly prized for their supposed medicinal qualities.

A record 668 South African rhinos were slaughtered for their horns in 2012, an increase of nearly 50 percent compared with 2011, according to conservation group WWF.

Their plight is one of the issues topping the agenda at a major conference on endangered species in Bangkok this week, with wildlife groups urging Thailand to step up efforts to crack down on trade in ivory and rhino horn.


-- (c) Copyright AFP 2013-03-05

[Pimay1]

"We have evidence, especially closed circuit television footage," he added.

Hope the video is uploaded to youtube. Seems like this is the best way to get them off their lazy asses and do something.

[dcutman]

Now there is a shocking development.

[ChrisY1]

Not unexpected of course......lets see if things develope further.

The cops know, the pollies probably know.......obviously common knowledge out at the airport.....getting the top guys won't happen I would guess, but the trade may at least slow fown hopefully.

[bigbamboo]

Once again wherever corruption or crime raises it's ugly head in Thailand there nearly always seems to be policemen at the bottom of it.

Does DPM Pol. Capt. Chalerm realise this?

[Fozfromoz]

Now there is a shocking development.

Who would have thought............

[chainarong]

Ya Can't beat CCTV, however surveillance needs to be stepped up at all boarder crossings and entry points of interest ,I doubt that this will be done, on a policeman's pay,you probably could bribe the whole bleeding a lot, if the price was right, I'm afraid I have no confidence in Government departments in Thailand to carry out anything that resembles a cohesive effort.

[ginjag]

Amazing aint it !!! 2 weeks or so earlier a cop was caught in BKK--?? now airport, STOP the wages of the top police, They HAVE to know something....why are they involved in stopping(enforcing) and indulging--and in most other crimes they are suspected to be involved in, Who the hell is in charge of this FARCE--ooops force

[EyesWideOpen]

Could Thai Visa please have a permanent thread titled " Thai police gone bad" ? It would be great fun to have all these stories in one spot for easy reference, and to have a bit of a laugh if you are feeling down....

It is still amazing to me that the "police force" here commits a sizable

amount of the crime here..

Edited March 5, 2013 by EyesWideOpen

[Locationthailand]

3 crooked cops in Swampy? What about the others? But the number of Rhino's taken down at 668 - that is just tragic. I would shoot the poachers on site. Yes even hang em high! And the traffickers - ditto.

[Payboy]

"After arriving in Bangkok they were asked to put the rhino horn on a trolley and leave it somewhere nobody could see and then police would come and collect it," he told AFP.

I hope nothing happened to the trolley, because I remember reading that they were almost extinct at Suvarnaboomboom sometime back.

[Bagwan]

We can all relax. Rhino horn smuggling is a thing of the past. Yingluck even made a CD of her singing the Stones classic "It's all over now." Rush out and buy a copy now. All proceeds to the Thaksin Rehabilitation Fund.

[Ian Curtis]

Now there is a shocking development.

Who would have thought............

Bit of a t(horny) problem!

[julemanden]

Once again wherever corruption or crime raises it's ugly head in Thailand there nearly always seems to be policemen at the bottom of it.

Does DPM Pol. Capt. Chalerm realise this?

Of course NOT

[Mosha]

And they have the nerve to host a CITES conference.

[Payboy]

With so may visitors in town for that conference, Yaowarat shark fin restaurants must be doing booming trade this week.

[spidermike007]

Let us see if the government and the judiciary are willing, or capable of doing the right thing on this one. Thailand is on the world stage now, as they are attending the World Wildlife Conference, and this very topic is being discussed. In other countries, officials are getting 10, 20, or more years in prison, and are facing terribly stiff fines. Will Thailand be willing to lock up these insects for 20 years? Will they be willing to do more than a slap on the wrist fine? These insects have been earning stupid money from this heinous trade. Why not ask they to pay it back? Why not ask them to sell two or three of their villas? How about a 10,000,000 baht fine, as a minimum. Do you think that might have an impact? Would the word get around? Would these insects stop desecrating the planet? Maybe.

[bangon04]

As long as (ethnic) Chinese grandmothers keep telling their little boys that consuming rhino horn will give them bigger dicks, and buying elephant tusk trinkets will bring good luck, the market for this trade will keep on growing, and the animals will keep on being slaughtered. And when there are no animals left then they will have to make up "ancient wisdom" about something else....

[ChrisY1]

As long as (ethnic) Chinese grandmothers keep telling their little boys that consuming rhino horn will give them bigger dicks, and buying elephant tusk trinkets will bring good luck, the market for this trade will keep on growing, and the animals will keep on being slaughtered. And when there are no animals left then they will have to make up "ancient wisdom" about something else....

Exactly......it's the Chinese side of things that promotes and funds this industry.......it will take generations to stop.....the fewer animals that are available for slaughter...the higher the price.......a tragic state..

[PoodMaiDai]

Each will pay small fine of 500b and be sent on their way.

[khaowong1]

So let me get this straight.. India elephants a killed in India, then their tusks are brought through Thailand to sell to whomever, then Rhino's are killed in Africa, then their horns are brought through Thailand and sold to whomever. Is this correct? How did some Vietnamese get ahold of those Rhino horns? Why not just ship them through Vietnam? Is Thailand the illegal elephant tusk, Rhino horn, Tiger penis HUB of Southeast Asia? You gotta love these Thai's.

[SantiSuk]

No wonder passenger bags take so <deleted> long to arrive in the baggage hall. Everyone is too busy smoothing the path of rare animal parts through to Chinese consumers.

What the world needs is a vigilante John McLane wading through China with some serious weaponry and showing the prats that using up rare species is not so lucky for them after all

[surangw]

Amazing aint it !!! 2 weeks or so earlier a cop was caught in BKK--?? now airport, STOP the wages of the top police, They HAVE to know something....why are they involved in stopping(enforcing) and indulging--and in most other crimes they are suspected to be involved in, Who the hell is in charge of this FARCE--ooops force

"STOP the wages of the top police,"

at this point , I doubt they are making more than wages with their positions.

[Costas2008]

Stop moaning................Leonardo and Yingluck will solve the problem in no time.....if there are any elephants or rhinos left by then!!!!!

[sangfroid]

With so may visitors in town for that conference, Yaowarat shark fin restaurants must be doing booming trade this week.

There was a similar conference hosted by Thailand a few years back during Thaksin's tenure..

After the conference finished one day, Thaksin and his cabinet all went to a shark fin restaurant in Yaowaraat. The Wildlife People from overseas were horrified!!

[Bellweather]

Now there is a shocking development.

No, No, No I refuse to believe this

[WonnabeBiker]

Will the perps keep their jobs? Elsewhere, they would get ptosecuted and

lose their pensions' entitlement!

As long as crooks remain in uniform, ...

[TackyToo]

We can all relax. Rhino horn smuggling is a thing of the past. Yingluck even made a CD of her singing the Stones classic "It's all over now." Rush out and buy a copy now. All proceeds to the Thaksin Rehabilitation Fund.

It's time for someone singing: THE TIMES THEY'RE CHANGING!

[blackthorn2005]

And they have the nerve to host a CITES conference.

"Thai airport officials linked to rhino trade" Amazing Thailand!

[Bitis4ever]

Here we go.40 years jail term for a Thai Guy in RSA !

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-20267967