FWD: 3,000 exotic birds, 1,960 green logs seized

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This article is from The Star Online

URL:

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2005/6/12/nation/11200164 & sec=nation

 

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Sunday June 12, 2005

3,000 exotic birds, 1,960 green logs seized

 

 

PORT DICKSON: The marine police have thwarted an attempt to smuggle 3,000 exotic

birds of various species and 1,960 green logs from Indonesia along the coastline

of Kuala Linggi, near here.

 

The contraband, transported via seven barter trade boats were seized in a

four-hour operation, codenamed Ops Octopus, by six marine police officers from

Muar.

 

Asst Supt Ghazali Harun, who led the raids, said they started the operations at

1.30am yesterday following a tip-off.

 

They trailed seven vessels on police PAC boat at mid-sea and blocked them when

they reached the shoreline here.

 

ASP Ghazali said the police detained the seven tekong of the boats and 19

others – all Indonesians aged 30 to 40. The vessels were tugged to the Kuala

Linggi fisheries department jetty.

 

 

 

In Butterworth, the Wildlife and National Parks Department has seized 49

protected local birds from a house in Sungai Dua.

 

Officials from the department also seized cages and traps from the 57-year-old

house owner in the 11.30am raid yesterday at his home in Kampung Alor Merah.

 

The department’s Penang assistant director Nordin Darus said the birds seized

were 44 oriental white eye (zosterops palpebrosa), two scarlet-breasted flower

peckers (prionochilus thoracicus) and three red-whiskered bulbuls (pycononatus

jocosus).

 

“Initial investigations reveal that the suspect does not have permits to keep

the birds and we believe that the birds are en-route to Singapore where demand

for them is very high,” he said.

 

Nordin said the oriental white eye was sold between RM100 and RM500 per bird

depending on the size and quality while the red-whiskered bulbul could fetch

between RM400 and RM500 each. The minimum price for the scarlet-breasted flower

pecker is RM200.

 

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