Government puts works against ivory trade on national agenda

BANGKOK, 15th February 2018 (NNT) – The government of Thailand has prioritized the work to solve ivory smuggling in the country by making it part of the national agenda through operations in six categories.

The government has announced operations to suppress the illegal ivory trade, and listed six categories of operations, namely legislation, database development, legal execution, research and development, public relations, and evaluations. The operations have been implemented since October 2014.

The efforts have resulted in the passing of the Ivory Act three years ago, and the regulation to control ivory from pet elephants, which controls the ownership and processing of ivory and requires all ivory traders to apply for advance authorization and file reports as well as prohibits the import and export of ivory or products made from ivory.

Violation of these regulations will result in up to three years imprisonment, or a six million baht fine, or both.

The government has also defined African elephants as a protected species, calling upon government agencies and private companies to help campaign for conservation and to stringent enforce the law, as well as raise public awareness about elephant protection.

Thailand has recently received complements from the international community for its remarkable accomplishments in ivory trade suppression.

National News Bureau Of Thailand | Government puts works against ivory trade on national agenda