Bring Wildlife Traffickers to Book (Malaysia)
Mohideen Abdul Kader, The Sun Daily
September 3, 2022
See link
https://www.thesundaily.my/home/bring-wildlife-traffickers-to-book-JB9773029
for photo.
The Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) lauds the US$18 million (RM80
million) seizure of elephant tusks, rhino horns, pangolins and other
threatened animal parts by police on July 10, which is said to be the
largest in the nation’s history.
While the haul is significant, the recent bust is not the first as there
have been recurring cases of illegal wildlife trade making its way into
Malaysia.
Our country has become a popular regional transit hub used by criminal
networks for lucrative illegal trade, with Port Klang being a port of
choice for containerised shipment. The lack of action to stamp out this
appalling trade in ivory and rhino horns has earned Malaysia an
international reputation as a “serial” importer of both these illegal items.
It is worrisome and intriguing that the seizures of wildlife shipments have
never resulted in any arrests despite investigations conducted. In the
past, labelling of ivory for delivery to addresses in Malaysia failed to
produce any arrests as the addresses were believed to be fake.
The perpetrators of this illegal activity will continue to carry on this
trade, knowing how easy it is to evade arrests in Malaysia as they are
rarely caught and even more rarely punished. For years, ivory shipment has
been making its way through Malaysia unhindered.
Founder and Director of Nature Alert (UK) Sean Whyte has expressed concern
in the past, and recently in his email dated Aug 6 noted that: “For the
last 10 years, Malaysia has been known and talked about in both national
and international media as a major hub for the illegal trade in ivory. We
have seen many confiscations, (but) practically no transparency over the
confiscated ivory and no arrests. Given that these shipments arrive in
Malaysia addressed to someone, does it not seem suspicious that no
Malaysian ivory trafficker has been arrested, much less prosecuted?
Something stinks and it is not from the blood on the ivory.”
Whyte’s email suggests that the illegal trade could not have happened
without inside help.
A shocking truth came to light recently with the arrest of a Malaysian
major wildlife trafficking suspect by Thai police in Thailand. This was
revealed in an Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) report on June 30
June, a day after his arrest.
The EIA investigations revealed his involvement in the wildlife trafficking
business for more than two decades. He was providing concealment and
packing services to criminal networks involved in the smuggling of elephant
ivory, rhino horns and pangolin scales into Asia via Malaysian ports.
CAP is shocked by this revelation. The EIA report further stated that
anyone with a good relationship with this specialist transporter is bound
to have successful clearance in Malaysia and other Southeast Asian
countries, often used as transit hubs for illegally-imported wildlife
products from Africa to Asia.
His business dealings have been undetected because of his strong
connections to Customs officials and individuals involved in the illegal
wildlife products in Malaysia, Vietnam, China and Laos.
With the seizure, it would be interesting to note whether the seized animal
parts are identified, marked, registered and secured in the presence of an
international wildlife watchdog, the Trade Records Analysis of Flora and
Fauna in Commerce, to ensure the items do not go missing or re-enter the
illegal market.
Upon verification, the ivory stockpile should be destroyed publicly as has
been practised in many countries – the US, Hong Kong, Singapore, Tanzania,
Kenya and Congo.
The destruction is a powerful act to demonstrate that the country will not
tolerate wildlife crime. This will send a clear signal that Malaysia is
serious about seeing an end to the brutality of the massacre, and ensuring
that seized ivory and horns will never again be sold. Only by being
transparent can we convince the world of our commitment to combating the
illegal wildlife trade.
To this end, CAP calls on our enforcement authorities to work together with
all the relevant countries to strengthen cooperation on the suspect’s case
and to conduct an in-depth investigation of the offences committed, which
could lead to successful prosecution and conviction of the accused and his
associates implicated in wildlife trafficking.
Mohideen Abdul Kader is the president of the Consumers Association of
Penang
https://www.thesundaily.my/home/bring-wildlife-traffickers-to-book-JB9773029