It’s possible that Convention on the important International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) will instruct other countries not to import plant and wildlife products from Thailand if the country can’t get a handle on it’s issues involving the illegal wildlife trade, according to a high-ranking police official.
Deputy Police Chief Wut Liptapanlop said that the country stands to lose THB100 billion worth of animal and plant export profits if it doesn’t start taking serious action against illegal wildlife smugglers. He made his comments after the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) conference about preventing illegal smuggling of endangered animals.
The UNODC picked Thailand to host the three-day event because of the country’s unfortunate role as part of the route used by traffickers to smuggle animals. Advocates from 16 Southeast Asian countries and regions discussed possible actions to cut down or eliminate illegal animal trafficking.
The conference was also used as a place to consider proposals and ideas that could possibly be will included in the CITES document.
This is the first time Thailand will mobilize to try to find a solution to address the animal trafficking issue, which affects all of ASEAN, reported National News Bureau.
Reader Interactions