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THAWEESAK BUTCHAN

Ubon Ratchathani _ The trade in bushmeat and wildlife smuggling has been booming at the Emerald Triangle border crossing in this northeastern province, which has become a new haven for eaters of exotic dishes.

The wild meat trade has flourished following the weekend opening of the border crossing, where the borders of Thailand, Laos and Cambodia meet.

The Emerald Triangle, to be developed into an international tourist destination, currently caters to many local tourists, who go there for picnic days-out and to buy exotic wild meats.

The area covers Chong Bok pass in Nam Yuen district and parts of Laos and Cambodia.

The wild meat, including boar, gaur, deer and barking deer, are believed to be poached from Cambodian and Thai forests.

Panya Panya-adulkij, chief of Phu Jong-Nayoi National Park said local tourists, most of them state officials, bought wild animal meat and then cooked it for their picnic lunches at the site.

He said park officials could not take legal action against the meat buyers as long as they did not bring the butchered remains into the country.

"We can only set up a check-point and warn tourists against bringing the wild products into the country. And when we don't allow the stuff in, they just cook it and have it at the border site.

"The business has encouraged wildlife poaching," he said.

A Cambodian vendor said Cambodian soldiers, who were tasked with patroling the border areas, hunted the wild animals in the dense forest along the Thai-Cambodian border.

The meat was then sold at 200 baht per kilogramme.

"It sells like hot cakes among Thai tourists. They either cook it at the picnic site or take it home," said the vendor.

Amnuay Sutthanong, a tourist from the neighbouring province of Si Sa Ket, said he and his relatives prepared all the ingredients necessary for cooking the bushmeat beforehand.

"We come here for a picnic and take this chance to taste these exotic dishes," he said.

Authorities said they have already stepped up a crackdown on smuggling of wildlife meat, most of which passes through the Emerald Triangle.

On Sunday, Pongsak Sukpong, 45, was arrested for having 2.7kg of deer meet in possession. Late last month, Saravuth Srinil, 21, was arrested with a slaughtered barking deer he claimed he had bought from a border market in the Emerald Triangle.
Lt Thanayod Kengkasikij, of the Forestry Police Division, said the agency had not realised the extent of the ongoing illegal wildlife trade in the Emerald Triangle because the police were focused on preventing the smuggling of pangolins at the Thai-Malaysian border.

bangkok post

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