Fwd: PRESS RELEASE | International Police Group to Tackle Wildlife Trafficking Crime Syndicates

[Guest guest]

PRESS RELEASE

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

International Police Group to Tackle Wildlife

 

Trafficking Crime Syndicates

 

(Bangkok, January 9, 2009) – Senior police investigators representing six

countries from the ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN), China and

the United States wrapped up a closed-door meeting in Bangkok today, having

mapped out the first stage of a strategy to uncover and dismantle the

organized crime syndicates behind persistent illegal trade of pangolins

(endangered scaly anteaters) and big cats (endangered and critically

endangered tigers and leopards), which is pushing the species towards

extinction.

 

 

 

Pangolins and big cats (and derivative products) are in high demand and

among the most profitable contraband trafficked by criminal syndicates

involved in the illegal trade in protected species – a black market

estimated by INTERPOL to be worth in excess of $10 billion (US) annually. In

2008, pangolins accounted for a high proportion of wildlife recovered from

illegal trade by Southeast Asian authorities (based on weight and estimated

value of seized animals). Over 43 metric tons of pangolins have been seized

in the region between 2000 and 2008.

 

 

 

An initiative to combat the illegal wildlife trade in Southeast Asia,

ASEAN-WEN involves environmental, police, customs and judiciary agencies

from all 10 ASEAN countries. ASEAN-WEN's first *Special Investigation Group

Workshop on Trafficking in Big Cats and Pangolins* involved police

investigators from Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam,

China and the United States. Facilitated by the Royal Thai Police and

INTERPOL, the workshop focused on ways to improve cross-border intelligence

sharing and boost collaborative investigations to locate, gather evidence

against and arrest the criminal ring leaders behind the illegal wildlife

trade.

 

 

 

Dr. Chumphon Suckaseam, Senior Officer for the ASEAN-WEN Program

Coordination Unit (the Bangkok-based operational headquarters of ASEAN-WEN)

opened the three-day workshop by stressing the importance of " concerted and

coordinated joint action to address illegal exploitation and trade which

threatens to irrevocably damage Southeast Asia's ecosystems. "

 

 

 

A series of closed-session briefings by law enforcement officers from the

six participating ASEAN countries began the workshop, covering known

activities and methods of pangolin and big cat traffickers operating within

their borders, as well as existing law enforcement capacity and strategies

to investigate and curtail illegal trade. This was followed by an open forum

for discussion of ways to improve crossborder intelligence sharing and

investigative cooperation. International agencies, including the United

Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Border Liaison Office (BLO),

INTERPOL, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the ASEAN-WEN Program

Coordination Unit also gave presentations on support available to national

law enforcement.

 

 

 

Participants worked together towards the development of an improved

intelligence sharing framework effective across the range of national

protocols, laws and capacities within ASEAN, and connecting to other key

nations, such as China and the United States. Participants also used the

workshop to develop specific action plans for the initiation of

investigations.

 

 

 

Police Colonel Subsak Chavalviwat of the Royal Thai Police Natural Resources

and Environmental Crime Suppression Division (NRECD) said, " Police are more

active against wildlife trafficking now, we understand what's at stake for

the environment and human health if traffickers aren't stopped. "

 

 

 

" Locating the top ring leaders is difficult because these networks can be

highly organized international operations. They are often beyond the

jurisdiction of police who make the first seizure. With more training for

frontline officers and by cooperating more on cross-border investigations,

such as through the Special Investigations Group, I'm confident we can catch

them. "

 

 

 

Illegal trade in pangolins, big cats and other species of animals and plants

is ravaging Southeast Asia's natural ecosystems. In 2005, all 10 ASEAN

member countries joined forces to form the ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement

Network (ASEAN-WEN) to coordinate a regional response to this threat.

ASEAN-WEN's Special Investigation Group is a newly created cross-border

interagency investigation team, set up in partnership with INTERPOL and the

United States.

 

 

 

" The eyes of the world are on ASEAN-WEN to see if it can progress towards

more effective enforcement of wildlife laws in this region. And from what

I've seen over the last three days, they've taken another key step in that

direction, " stated David Higgins, Environment Crimes Program Manager for

INTERPOL.

 

 

 

Held at Thailand's International Law Enforcement Academy in Bangkok from

January 7-9, 2009, ASEAN-WEN's first Special Investigation Group Workshop on

Trafficking in Big Cats and Pangolins was organized by the Royal Thai Police

Natural Resources and Environment Crime Suppression Division, and funded by

the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). USAID and the U.S.

Department of State provide financial and logistical support for the

development of the ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network through a dedicated

ASEAN-WEN Support Program.

 

 

 

For more information:

 

Aschta Boestani

 

Assistant Senior Officer

 

ASEAN-WEN Program Coordination Unit

 

Email: aschta

 

Tel/Fax: +66-2-9406286

 

Mobile: +66-816 7290

 

 

 

*Editor's notes:*

 

* *

 

1. ASEAN-WEN stands for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Wildlife

Enforcement Network. It involves the law enforcement agencies of all ten

ASEAN countries and facilitates cross-border collaboration in the fight

against illegal wildlife trade in the region. The network was launched on

December 1, 2005 in Bangkok.

 

 

 

2. Under ASEAN-WEN, police, customs and environmental management agencies

are forming national task forces and cross-border intelligence sharing links

to successfully curtail illegal wildlife trade. The United States and China

are also cooperating with ASEAN-WEN.

 

 

 

3. The ASEAN-WEN Program Coordination Unit has released a detailed update

and statistical summary of major interdictions against illegal wildlife

trade by Southeast Asian law enforcement authorities from July to December

2008, available from the ASEAN-WEN website (www.aseanwen.org).

 

 

 

For more information visit the ASEAN-WEN website (www.asean-wen.org)

 

 

 

--

http://www.stopelephantpolo.com

http://www.freewebs.com/azamsiddiqui