Ivory traders in Thailand given 2 months to register and declare their stocks

[webfact]

Ivory traders ordered to register
By Coconuts Bangkok

BANGKOK: -- Ivory shops in Thailand have two months to register and declare their stocks under threat of legal action by the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation.

The move comes as Thailand hopes to dodge sanctions over wildlife trafficking with a new plan to address its booming illegal ivory trade.

"We will give ivory shops about two months to register,” said deputy department chief Thanya Nethithamakul. “If they continue to ignore the order, we will take legal action against them. The registration will help us know where these shops are and how much ivory each of them possesses.”

The plan is to be presented this month to the board of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Thailand has faced escalating criticism from the CITES body and international community for its lack of action despite vowing to combat the unregulated market. Its efforts were again deemed "unsatisfactory" at a July CITES conference in Switzerland. The panel also expressed concern over delays in changing laws to deal with the problem. [read more...]

Full story: http://bangkok.coconuts.co//2014/09/04/ivory-traders-ordered-register

-- Coconuts Bangkok 2014-09-04

[Cuchulainn]

There should be NO ivory trading. Full stop.

[NongKhaiKid]

Another plenty of time to react deadline.

[Bluespunk]

"The move comes as Thailand hopes to dodge sanctions over wildlife trafficking with a new plan to address its booming illegal ivory trade."

Dodge sanctions.

Yep.

That sums it up.

Come up with a plan and claim to be proactive. Then do nothing once the threat has passed by.

Only so many times that type of duplicity will work.

Edited September 4, 2014 by Bluespunk

[Prbkk]

This would : drive up the price of Ivory and items, new and antique, made from it, drive some greater proportion of the "legal" trade underground.

Yes, they should register but the authorities should pursue those at the top of the trading chain unrelentingly. Serious jail time.

[Loles]

My full simpathy for TH elephants for the next two months.

[Misterwhisper]

There should be NO ivory trading. Full stop.

I absolutely agree, especially under the aspect what sort of mind-boggling items are manufactured from ivory: useless ornamental knick-knack that collects dust on the shelf, tiny deity statuettes, holy amulets and other superstitious charms, tasteless bangles, earrings and necklaces, just to name a few.

It really is not worth it to drive such a magnificent species as elephants to extinction for all this crap.

There even was a story recently that reported how a local artist carved a burial urn from ivory for the remains of the late Supreme Patriarch. Did it really have to be ivory or would a silver urn or something similar have sufficed?

[FangFerang]

So....the people, who were never supposed to be doing anything illegal, are being warned to register to do what they have never done, to make amends for things they never should have been doing, so everyone can feel good about what has never happened?

"About two months" gives you plenty of time to get rid of the things you never should have possessed, and of course never did, and to prove we are not responsible for what never happened. This is important. You will, undoubtedly, prove that nothing was ever going on that involved imported African ivory or illegal Thai ivory, because you, of course, were never involved and (of course) we cannot be accountable for what you never did -- and in two month's time you can prove it on paper.

Case closed. It's simple.

Edited September 4, 2014 by FangFerang

[monkeycountry]

Notice, as always, Thailand is only doing this to avoid various blacklists, not in order to protect elephants. If protecting elephants was a priority, then the solution is simple, ban all ivory trade, and jail perpetrators.

Edited September 5, 2014 by monkeycountry

[MILT]

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My full simpathy for TH elephants for the next two months.

Because?

[tigermoth]

What a load of bullshit. Two months!!!! Time for all those present and past leaders of the country to wipe out all evidence of their involvement like taking bribes for non prosecution of traders and poachers.

[wabothai]

There should not be any trading, period.

But at the least a good move. Get the bastards !!