Illegal shipment of ivory intercepted by customs (Illustrative image. Source VNA)Hanoi(VNA) – Customs officers at Noi Bai International Airport on January 2 reportedthat they have uncovered a case of transporting African ivory tusks and Africanivory tusk products from Hanoi to Thailand.
They said customsscanning on December 31, 2017 found goods that may have been from ivory tusks weighingaround 3 kilogrammes from a passenger to be on board flight SL 181 of ThaiLionAir from Noi Bai to Bangkok, Thailand.
They seized these commodities and sent samples of the goods to the Institute ofEcology and Biological Resources for tests. The tests confirmed that fourpieces of these goods are African ivory and others were made from African ivory.
The case is underfurther investigation.
Trading, storing and transporting ivory is forbidden in Vietnam. Violators canbe fined from 5-50 million VND or imprisoned from six months to five years.
In August 2017, a “Say No to Ivory” campaign was launched in Ho Chi Minh City witha view to raising public awareness of elephant protection.
The campaign, partof the global wildlife programme “When the buying stops, the killing can too”,was launched by the Centre of Hand-on Actions and Networking for Growth andEnvironment (CHANGE) and WildAid organisation.
The “Say No toIvory” campaign is set to last for three years.
In Vietnam, WildAid is focusing on measures to change people’s wrong belief inthe uses of wildlife products, including ivory, through communicationpublications.
According to theMinistry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the number of elephants inVietnam has fallen from more than 1,000 to about 100 which mainly live alongthe border with Laos and Cambodia. Vietnam has become an illegal point oftransit for ivory over the last decade.-VNA
VNA
