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Conservationists to take Vietnam to public hearing over wildlife trafficking

Xinhua, September 29, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Wildlife Justice Commission will hold its first ever public hearing on Vietnam on November 14 and 15 in Hague, the Netherlands over its failure to investigate illegal organized syndicates in wildlife species, it was revealed on Wednesday.

Alethea Clarke, communications director of Wildlife Justice Commission, which investigates illegal organized syndicates in wildlife species, told Xinhua that the organization carried out investigations and bust a smuggling syndicate involving wildlife species listed in CITES Appendix I including elephants, rhinos and tigers.

Their investigation uncovered the smuggling of these animals which are valued over 53.1 million U.S. dollars, which was done in Vietnam but smuggled from various parts of the world.

Clarke said the trafficked species included parts and products from up to 907 elephants, 579 rhinos, 225 tigers and other endangered species including pangolin, bear, hawksbill, turtles and helmeted hornbills.

She said, "We gave Vietnam a box of 500 pages of evidence in January 2016 and they never acted on it. We also tried through their diplomats and they never took us seriously. We have videos, names, addresses, social media accounts, faces and bank accounts. We have the International Crime Justice comprising of retired judges and legal experts who will force them to act."

The commission said the two-day Public Hearing will be attended by over 300 participants from the non-governmental organizations, conservationists, and interested parties from where the species were trafficked from.

The organization wants the criminal network consisting of 51 individuals to face the wrath of the law.

Clarke said the buyers of the prohibited species under CITES were predominantly from Vietnam. She said the illegal business was conducted mostly in the city called Nhi Khe.

The commission is also investigating some other five illegal transnational wildlife trade which she could not disclose.

Clarke also said that in early September 2016 they also gave some evidence to Malaysia which acted and arrested suspects who are now facing prosecution. Those were involved in the trafficking of ivory, rhino horns, wild tigers and elephant tusks.

The organization was using undercover video and images of the illegal trade which they handed over to the authorities in concerned countries like Vietnam. Endit