Phuket expat Canadian arrested for illegally importing corals

[webfact]

Phuket expat Canadian arrested for illegally importing corals
Phuket Gazette


Phuket expat and boat captain Ted Blenkers, 54, from Canada, points to the corals he was caught smuggling into the country. Photo: Thawit Bilabdullar

PHUKET: -- A Canadian man was arrested yesterday after being caught bringing coral into the country which he claimed was to be used in a private aquarium at his home in Phuket Town.

Phuket expat Ted Blenkers, 54, was arrested after a person reported seeing him moving coral from a boat at Ao Por Marina (map here) to a van with Bangkok license plates.

“The person reported seeing the coral being placed into the van, which was driven from the pier at about 3:45pm,” Thalang Police Inspector Sarayuth Meeboon told the Phuket Gazette.

Officers quickly set up a roadblock near the Heroines Monument (map here) and minutes later Mr Blenkers arrived and was stopped.

“We searched his van and found 10 different pieces of coral,” Lt Col Sarayuth said.

“Mr Blenkers said he was a boat captain who had just returned from Indonesia. He had moored the boat at Ao Por Marina and was on his way home,” said Lt Col Sarayuth.

“He explained that he took the corals from Indonesia to decorate the fish tank at his home in Phuket Town,” he added.

Mr Blenkers was charged with importing coral without a permit and relocating plant or animal remains without a proper license, Col Sarayuth confirmed.

Source: http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket_news/2013/Phuket-expat-Canadian-arrested-for-illegally-importing-corals-22741.html


-- Phuket Gazette 2013-11-08

[steelepulse]

Glad to see everyone knows how to point! Someone must have it in for this guy for having a few dead pieces of coral.

I would rather see the marine police crack down on all the illegal fisherman killing the coral!

[NomadJoe]

Glad to see everyone knows how to point! Someone must have it in for this guy for having a few dead pieces of coral.

I would rather see the marine police crack down on all the illegal fisherman killing the coral!

FYI his story is bullshit. There is no doubt that he took these from Thai waters. He lied about it because he has likely been active in the underground salt water aquarium trade that flourishes in Bangkok so he knows the fines are much stiffer if he took them from Thai waters vs. importing them. This is how the game is played here. Once you get the tropical fish, seahorses, sea stars, coral, etc, to Bangkok, you create fake documents showing they are from outside Thailand, then sell them, sometimes back to people in Phuket who are ignorant as to their origins.

Also, the corals in the photo that are not white are not dead, yet.

[Waithai]

Yes he must show export / import permit & corals protected..he has broken law ..Indonesia or Thai.same .

[steelepulse]

Wouldn't it be pretty easy to check his passport for a recent Indo stamp? What's being done about all the fisherman destroying a lot more than 10 pieces of coral?

[casindonet]

Wouldn't it be pretty easy to check his passport for a recent Indo stamp? What's being done about all the fisherman destroying a lot more than 10 pieces of coral?

It's ok because they are local fishermen....it's not ok if you are a foreigner.

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[Jimi007]

They caught a trophy farang for show. All the illegal trades still flow.

[JoeThePoster]

I heard those 3 beefwitted spongy onion eyed barnacles in the 1st picture sell for as much as 500 Baht each.

[KarenBravo]

Pity the authorities don't show the same zeal when it comes to slow loris.......

[stevenl]

Pity the authorities don't show the same zeal when it comes to slow loris.......

On the contrary, the don't care about the lorises but even less about the seas. If they were to give as much attention to the illegal fish trade as they are doing to the lorises there would be far, far less illegal fish trade.

[webfact]

Canadian skipper arrested for smuggling coral in Phuket

Eakkapop Thongtub

Ted Blenkers after his arrest.

PHUKET: -- Acting on a tip-off from “a good citizen”, police yesterday (November 7) arrested a 59-year-old Canadian for smuggling coral into Thailand.

Following the tip-off, police stopped a Toyota Avanza being driven by Ted Blenkers, 59, of Vancouver, near the Heroines Monument. In the car they found pieces of coral and a large clamshell, which they seized.

Blenkers, who said he worked as a ship’s captain, said he had brought the coral from Indonesia to decorate an aquarium in his home.

He was charged with bringing coral into the kingdom without a customs permit, and transporting them without a permit and without being able to show an invoice.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/canadian-skipper-arrested-for-smuggling-coral-42760.php

-- Phuket News 2013-11-08

[pgrahmm]

So - he must have a work permit to Captain a boat/ship in Thai waters?

If they want to get rid of the guy I would think that would also be a charge,,,,,

[wilcopops]

With conservation crime and the trade in endangered species, the chain of supply is often long and complex.

Some people at the bottom are simply so poor (and uneducated) that the chance of making a little extra money is too tempting to avoid.

Further up the chain those who really make money out of it know exactly about the natural history of the flora and fauna they are dealing in and the effect it can have on the environment.

This is not a "victimless" crime - In the case of coral, quite apart from anything else it is absolutely fundamental to the Thai tourist industry. Destroying coral is taking the bread out of the mouths of Thai people. Those who do are stealing a resource from the Thai people.

If this particular person is found guilty, i hope the penalty will reflect the seriousness of his crime and the disgust of the Thai people.

Edited November 8, 2013 by wilcopops

[lostmebike]

Phuket expat and boat captain Ted Blenkers

I thought he was the mayor of Toronto

[maprao]

Next they will concentrate on the Jet ski crimin*ls oops operators.

[Katipo]

The gentleman on the right certainly seems to take his pointing seriously. I wonder if he preacticed in front of the mirror in the hope of getting a chance just like this?

[NomadJoe]

With conservation crime and the trade in endangered species, the chain of supply is often long and complex.

Some people at the bottom are simply so poor (and uneducated) that the chance of making a little extra money is too tempting to avoid.

Further up the chain those who really make money out of it know exactly about the natural history of the flora and fauna they are dealing in and the effect it can have on the environment.

This is not a "victimless" crime - In the case of coral, quite apart from anything else it is absolutely fundamental to the Thai tourist industry. Destroying coral is taking the bread out of the mouths of Thai people. Those who do are stealing a resource from the Thai people.

If this particular person is found guilty, i hope the penalty will reflect the seriousness of his crime and the disgust of the Thai people.

I don't know the fines for importing, but if it were found he destroyed coral in Thai waters, it's 40,000B fine, or 5 years in jail, or both. A speed boat captain anchoring on coral in Ranong National Park learned that the hard way recently.

[KarenBravo]

Pity that doesn't seem to apply to novice divers that can't use their BCD properly.

[stevenl]

Pity that doesn't seem to apply to novice divers that can't use their BCD properly.

Agree, the instructor should be fined for wrong teachings.

[malcy]

Agreed textbook pointing from all parties .

[KC 71]

Export maybe

But import !

Bit harsh i think

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[KC 71]

Divers are just as bad

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[stevenl]

Export maybe

But import !

Bit harsh i think

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Ah, so it's not ok to destroy Thai reefs but it is ok to destroy the Indonesian reefs. Moot point really, since the corals very likely came from Thailand anyway.

[KuhnPaen]

Wow, just to think if he had spent 100 baht on some garbage bags to put the coral in. Then it would have looked like he was just moving chopped up body parts.

[silent]

Holy Crap Batman! Must be a bigger high than crack smokin that. Gotta get some.

[stevenl]

Agreed textbook pointing from all parties .

Where is the pointing at the accused?

[Dave Phuket Sisaket]

Sorry, my first time quoting something, apparently I didn't do it right.

That is one of the best posts I have ever seen on Thaivisa... Gotta love a crack smoking Chris Farley look alike mayor..

[brit1984]

i'm confused about the pointing in the photo... is it the guy who committed a crime or the pieces of coral?

[Dave Phuket Sisaket]

Out of curiosity, is it illegal to collect bits of totally dead coral that you find on the beach? I remember seeing that they arrested a Thai guy selling bracelets or something with tiny bits of them. I had thought about bringing a few pieces home once from a local beach for decoration but am scared it would be asking for trouble....

[Andre0720]

With conservation crime and the trade in endangered species, the chain of supply is often long and complex.

Some people at the bottom are simply so poor (and uneducated) that the chance of making a little extra money is too tempting to avoid.

Further up the chain those who really make money out of it know exactly about the natural history of the flora and fauna they are dealing in and the effect it can have on the environment.

This is not a "victimless" crime - In the case of coral, quite apart from anything else it is absolutely fundamental to the Thai tourist industry. Destroying coral is taking the bread out of the mouths of Thai people. Those who do are stealing a resource from the Thai people.

If this particular person is found guilty, i hope the penalty will reflect the seriousness of his crime and the disgust of the Thai people.

'' i hope the penalty will reflect the seriousness of his crime and the disgust of the Thai people''

So you wish for him a fine of 1,000 bahts...

And regarding the disgust of the Thai people, I see very little caring for the environment....

But taking live corals is certainly not a good thing in any oceans...