A serious plan to take on the ivory trade was formally requested by the military junta at a meeting yesterday with relevant agencies.
Observers remain hopeful Thailand will make a meaningful move to curtail the domestic ivory industry that remains a destination for poachers and smugglers responsible for the near-eradication of elephants in Africa and elsewhere.
Junta spokesman Yongyuth Maiyalap said the meeting was called to assess Thailand’s operations to combat the illegal trade. The Natural Resources and Environment Ministry was tasked with spearheading a development plan consistent to Thailand’s obligaions under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in Geneva last month.
International onlookers have turned up the heat on Thailand recently after years of heavy criticism and empty promises made by former administrations. Just last year former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra vowed to ban the thriving and unregulated ivory market, only to see it triple since then.
The Thai market is one of the world’s largest, placing just behind Hong Kong and China.
Maiyalap said member states at the conference urged Thailand to revise its national ivory action plan by the end of September to enforce laws that would more effectively regulate the domestic ivory trade, the possession and issuance of trade licenses, and restrictions on the market.
Moreover, Thailand is obligated under CITES to reports on the progress of its plan on Jan. 15 and March 31. Delegates from member countries will pay a visit to the kingdom to evaluate the developments in person, state media reported.
Photo: WWF
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Slaughterhouse: Thailand’s ivory trade triples as elephants slide into extinction
