Rhino horns worth 10 million baht seized at Suvarnabhumi Airport

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Rhino horns worth 10 million baht seized at Suvarnabhumi

BANGKOK, 24 June 2013 (NNT) - The Customs Department has confiscated 8 rhino horns, worth up to 10 million baht, that were being smuggled through Suvarnabhumi Airport.

A 31-year-old Guinean man was arrested after Suvarnabhumi officials had found 8 rhino horns weighing 10 kilograms in his suitcase. The horns, according to the officials, could be worth up to 10 million baht in the black market.

However, the smuggler said the suitcase belonged to a friend who had left the suitcase with him. The 31-year-old was coming from Uganda.

The officials said the horns were detected by an x ray machine. Thailand, earlier this year, hosted CITES conference where rhinos were agreed to be listed as protected animals.

In related news, Thailand's Customs Department contacted officials in Cambodia two days ago asking them to search a passenger suspected of smuggling illegal objects.

The smuggler was traveling to Siem Reap where he was apprehended with a number of African elephant tusks.


-- NNT 2013-06-24

[uptheos]

Well done for stooping this, now lets see an example made of the guy!

I reckon 5 years a horn.....any offers?

[joeaverage]

viagra and its derivatives are a lot easier to carry, and the actually work

[Payboy]

Note to self - unpack horn, pack Viagra for my next trip.

[Bellweather]

Carried in his suitcase ? A real master criminal and coming from Africa I'm surprised he hadn't tried to swallow it wrapped in condoms.

[barrybankruad]

Just over 1kg per horn, small, either these were from young rhinos or were the 'secondary' or smaller rear horn grown by some species.

[jpeg]

Not so long ago I viewed a TEDx talk by some guy talking about the ongoing deforestation in Indonesia and the fact that his outfit had managed to rescue twenty or so Urang U Tang for rehab and re-release into a special nature preserve bought for this explicit purpose. the audience started to cheer, but the guy stopped them and said 'no, this is bad news and shouldn't be necessary'.

Carry on.

[pacovl46]

Death penalty for the guy!!! They don't care if rhinos die out, therefore I don't care if he loses his life.

[julemanden]

Well done for stooping this, now lets see an example made of the guy!

I reckon 5 years a horn.....any offers?

Better if they cut of his "horn"

[impulse]

Here's a man with a plan:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2195803/Farming-rhinos-legalising-sale-horns-worth-gold-save-extinction-claims-farmer.html

Can't believe the Chinese aren't all over this in Africa....

[ezzra]

As A punishment, I move to stick those horns up the man's Arse....so he can feel

some of the pains those poor animals endure...

[winstonc]

As A punishment, I move to stick those horns up the man's Arse....so he can feel

some of the pains those poor animals endure...

im with you on this ezzra,but only if they go in DRY,,now that bought a tear to my eye,,,,

[lee b]

Well done for stooping this, now lets see an example made of the guy!

I reckon 5 years a horn.....any offers?

Execute him, like the poor animals were......

[paz]

Death! Amputation! Torture! Hell!

Enough with that theory about "proportion in punishement and aim for individual correction", what an antiquate concept! It is also boring!

Death for them all whatever they do!

We do like that in country X, just like our religion Z has teached that is right, we also post videos of our executions! Join our league!

Edited June 24, 2013 by paz

[Unkomoncents]

Another tragic manifestation of the environmental plague that is China's increasingly wealthy, yet not increasingly well-educated, population. Superstitious Chinese people with money = biodiversity disaster.

[paz]

Another tragic manifestation of the environmental plague that is China's increasingly wealthy, yet not increasingly well-educated, population. Superstitious Chinese people with money = biodiversity disaster.

Yeah. Compare to the well-educated US attitude toward enviromental issues (emissions treaty anyone ?) and their people common attitude toward energy use and water/food sustainability.

As I said above, death penalty for smuggling animal parts. Nobel prize to the leaders of great, peaceful nations.

Edited June 24, 2013 by paz

[Unkomoncents]

Another tragic manifestation of the environmental plague that is China's increasingly wealthy, yet not increasingly well-educated, population. Superstitious Chinese people with money = biodiversity disaster.

Yeah. Compare to the well-educated US attitude toward enviromental issues (emissions treaty anyone ?) and their people common attitude toward energy use and water/food sustainability.

As I said above, death penalty for smuggling animal parts. Nobel prize to the leaders of great, peaceful nations.

Point taken. America needs some more education. Nevertheless, in the America where I live, plastic bags have recently been banned in grocery stores, smoking cigarretes is banned in public parks, everyone recycles, the air is clean, and endangered species are observed in zoos instead of on dinner tables. Also, it seems that Americans are familiar with the art of using trash cans, so that even though landfills continue to be an issue, and per capita consumption in the US is higher than in most other countries, it does appear that people are slowly shifting away from their bad habits (Hummer is a now defunct brand and companies like Google are seeking carbon neutrality). Fortunately for Americans, incidence of thousands of pig carcasses floating down major rivers and lead in children's toys is down.

[heybruce]

I saw on the news that in one park in Africa they are sedating wild rhinos then injectin their horns with a yellow die and poison. The poison stays in the horn and doesn't hurt the rhino, while the yellow die lets poachers know the horn is useless in trade.

I know I'll catch a lot of flack for this, but perhaps they could inject the horns already hacked off rhinos with the poison but not the die, and allow them to continue on their illegal journey. It's a way to thin out the population of superstitious idiots that fund this trade. If you want to be humane you could use something that makes the users extremely ill for a while but not permanently injured.

[KuhnPaen]

Ten million for rhino horns? Wow. I'm in the wrong business.

[jinners]

As A punishment, I move to stick those horns up the man's Arse....so he can feel

some of the pains those poor animals endure...

Minus lube, <deleted> <deleted> , care for nothing or nobody. Lock him up throw away the key. Bastard.

[jinners]

Another tragic manifestation of the environmental plague that is China's increasingly wealthy, yet not increasingly well-educated, population. Superstitious Chinese people with money = biodiversity disaster.

Yeah. Compare to the well-educated US attitude toward enviromental issues (emissions treaty anyone ?) and their people common attitude toward energy use and water/food sustainability.

As I said above, death penalty for smuggling animal parts. Nobel prize to the leaders of great, peaceful nations.

Point taken. America needs some more education. Nevertheless, in the America where I live, plastic bags have recently been banned in grocery stores, smoking cigarretes is banned in public parks, everyone recycles, the air is clean, and endangered species are observed in zoos instead of on dinner tables. Also, it seems that Americans are familiar with the art of using trash cans, so that even though landfills continue to be an issue, and per capita consumption in the US is higher than in most other countries, it does appear that people are slowly shifting away from their bad habits (Hummer is a now defunct brand and companies like Google are seeking carbon neutrality). Fortunately for Americans, incidence of thousands of pig carcasses floating down major rivers and lead in children's toys is down.

I can never understand one comment picking up on the faults of one thing and is immediately compared to the others own short comings. I'm not an American, but find this constant tit for tat you did they did logic annoying. It's why there' s never ending shit in the middle east and so much crap in the world. Open your mind!

[masuk]

Not so long ago I viewed a TEDx talk by some guy talking about the ongoing deforestation in Indonesia and the fact that his outfit had managed to rescue twenty or so Urang U Tang for rehab and re-release into a special nature preserve bought for this explicit purpose. the audience started to cheer, but the guy stopped them and said 'no, this is bad news and shouldn't be necessary'.

Carry on.

You're so right about the poor old Orang Utan. The forests of Malaysia and Indonesia are being cut down and burned, so more b.....y palm oil can be grown. This destroys the habitats of larger mammals such as elephant, rhino and orang utan.

Now I read that Singapore and parts of Malaysia are covered in the sort of smoke we get in Chiang Mai every March. Personally, I try and avoid anything containing palm oil, but it's not so easy.

[Unkomoncents]

Another tragic manifestation of the environmental plague that is China's increasingly wealthy, yet not increasingly well-educated, population. Superstitious Chinese people with money = biodiversity disaster.

Yeah. Compare to the well-educated US attitude toward enviromental issues (emissions treaty anyone ?) and their people common attitude toward energy use and water/food sustainability.

As I said above, death penalty for smuggling animal parts. Nobel prize to the leaders of great, peaceful nations.

Point taken. America needs some more education. Nevertheless, in the America where I live, plastic bags have recently been banned in grocery stores, smoking cigarretes is banned in public parks, everyone recycles, the air is clean, and endangered species are observed in zoos instead of on dinner tables. Also, it seems that Americans are familiar with the art of using trash cans, so that even though landfills continue to be an issue, and per capita consumption in the US is higher than in most other countries, it does appear that people are slowly shifting away from their bad habits (Hummer is a now defunct brand and companies like Google are seeking carbon neutrality). Fortunately for Americans, incidence of thousands of pig carcasses floating down major rivers and lead in children's toys is down.

I can never understand one comment picking up on the faults of one thing and is immediately compared to the others own short comings. I'm not an American, but find this constant tit for tat you did they did logic annoying. It's why there' s never ending shit in the middle east and so much crap in the world. Open your mind!

True. The thing is, if you try to discuss the problems with a situation, be it political, educational, social, whatever, you basically invite the machine response from a significant percentage of other TV members which is: "it's the same in {insert country}" or "This is Thailand. If you don't like it, then go home." You're left with two choices regarding how to proceed on the forums in the future: either 1) you don't allow those comments to drown out your argument or 2) you just give up and pretend like everything is happy and sunny and wonderful in every post (the course many TV posters, Thai and foreign, would prefer you chose) and just crack jokes.

[Wombat6]

Ten million for rhino horns? Wow. I'm in the wrong business.

We should all be saving our nail clippings and grind them up and sell as powdered Rhino horn. The buyers won't be able to tell the difference.