Thailand is (not only) heading the illegal trade in Wildlife....

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From the Bangkok Post - Thailand

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wildlife boss vows to keep protesting animal import deal

Undaunted by a harsh rebuke from a furious assistant to a minister,

Plodprasop Suraswadi, leading wildlife advocate Surapon Duangkhae has vowed

to continue protesting against the government's import of 135 wild animals

from Kenya for the Night Safari in Chiang Mai. Mr Surapon, secretary-general

of Wildlife Fund Thailand, is a regular critic of the project, saying that

the import of wild animals for display in the highly-promoted Night Safari

was against international wildlife law and a violation of animal welfare.

 

His latest criticism, which comes a day before Prime Minister Thaksin

Shinawatra travels to Africa to ink the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)

with the Kenyan government on the wildlife imports, was the last straw for

Mr Plodprasop.

 

The premier is being accompanied on his four-day visit to Kenya, which

started yesterday, by Mr Plodprasop, also chairman of the government

committee in charge of the zoo project, and Natural Resources and

Environment Minister Yongyuth Tiyapairat.

 

Mr Surapon also questioned the government's pledge to provide 20 million

baht to support Kenya's elephant conservation projects in return for the

animals.

 

''It's not the business of a Thai NGO. Mr Surapon is nobody. He knows

nothing about this matter. I'd like to warn him to stop making comments on

the issue,'' Mr Plodprasop said yesterday.

 

Mr Plodprasop also insisted that none of the wildlife was classified as

endangered species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered

Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites), which means Thailand was free to

import the animals.

 

Mr Surapon, however, insisted that it was necessary for the public and

relevant agencies to look into the project, which would do more harm than

good to the country's image.

 

''I don't care about his bad words, I just want the government to act

appropriately on such a sensitive issue,'' said Mr Surapon.

 

''The prime minister seems to be unaware that he is damaging the country's

reputation for wildlife conservation by signing the MoU with the Kenyan

government in the wildlife business,'' said Mr Surapol.

 

Mr Thaksin, he added, had made the ''wrong decision'' in taking a leading

role in reaching the wildlife procurement deal with the Kenyan government.

 

''Mr Thaksin's presence at the MoU signing ceremony can be interpreted as

his support for this dubious project, which has been questioned by wildlife

protection groups worldwide,'' said Mr Surapon.

 

Thailand's image has already suffered due to wildlife deals such as the

alleged export of 100 tigers to a Chinese zoo, the smuggling of orangutans

from Indonesia to a private Thai zoo and the elephant-koala swap with

Australia, he said.