Guest guest Posted October 25, 2005 Report Share Posted October 25, 2005 More bite for Wildlife Act soon - new straits times Ng KUALA LUMPUR, 25th Oct 2005 A mandatory jail sentence, whipping and vastly enhanced jail terms will soon be among penalties for those who abuse protected wildlife and flora. Those committing offences relating to tigers may receive a maximum of 10 years jail, double the existing sentence. Natural Resources and Environment Ministry parliamentary secretary Sazmi Miah said the Government was amending the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 to give it more bite in the wake of blatant breaches of existing law. He said the amendments constituted a reaction to the increasing number of offences involving endangered species. He told a Press conference at the Parliament lobby today that whipping would also be administered in selected cases, especially those involving foreigners found to be illegally entering protected areas. Fines are also set to increase by 30 times. Sazmi said abuse of wildlife and flora had reached a " worrying stage " . " The current Act, which is more than 30 years old, is ineffective in countering the offences. " He said the existing Act only provided for compounds and fines which were inadequate to deter offenders. " This is illustrated in a recent case where a person was just fined RM7,000 for possession of a dead tiger. " He said the draft for the amended Act, proposed to be known as the Wildlife Protection and Conservation Act, is nearing completion. He expected it to be tabled in Parliament next year. Sazmi urged all wildlife and conservation non-Governmental organisations to contact the ministry with feedback on the amendments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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