87 smuggled African ivory pieces seized in Thailand

BANGKOK, 6 April 2016 (NNT) - Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation director general Thanya Netithammakul said 87 elephant tusks, weighing 315.2 kilograms and worth over 28 million baht, which had been allegedly smuggled from Africa, have been seized by police and Customs officials.

The authorities earlier set up measures and regulations on ivory trade to keep Thailand from possible involvement in illegal African ivory dealings in the face of the 17th Conference of the Parties to CITES (CoP17) scheduled in Johannesburg, South Africa, during September 24 and October 5, 2016.

-- NNT 2016-04-06

Thailand seizes 87 African ivory tusks worth $800,000

BANGKOK (AP) — Officials in Thailand say they seized 315 kilograms (695 pounds) of African elephant tusks worth an estimated $800,000 at Bangkok's international airport.

Kulit Sombatsiri, director-general of the Thai Customs Department, said Tuesday that the haul of 87 ivory tusks was found March 27 in a dozen barrels sent from Mozambique on a Kenya Airways flight. A routine X-ray at Suvarnabhumi International Airport detected the contraband.

Kulit said a Kenyan man was due to pick up the parcels, but is believed to have fled the country after learning they were seized.

Kulit told reporters that Thai authorities alerted Kenyan officials, who discovered 561 kilograms (1,237 pounds) of ivory tusks waiting to be shipped to the same man.

He said it was the fifth seizure of elephant tusks this year in Thailand, which a number of United Nations reports have identified as one of the prime end user countries for ivory.

The global regulator in international trade in endangered species, CITES, put Thailand on a watch list of eight countries a few years ago. This required it to formulate an action plan to fight against the illegal ivory trade through legislation and enforcement or face the possibility of trade sanctions.


-- (c) Associated Press 2016-04-06