ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network

From 6 February to 5 April 2013, Ms. Shi Ronghong, Deputy Chief of the Division of Convention Affairs of the CITES Management Authority of China, undertook a Capacity Building Special Assignment as a seconded officer to the ASEAN-WEN Program Coordination Unit. China recently established the National Inter-Agency CITES Enforcement Group (NICEG is also known as China-WEN). The placement is part of the 1st Sino-ASEAN Technical Cooperation Meeting on CITES’ larger capacity building recommendations for its member institutions, which has included staff placements, staff exchanges and study visits across the 2 major regions. Similar postings of ASEAN officers in China is expected in the future.

During that technical cooperation roundtable, officers from the ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network and the Government of the Peoples Republic of China produced a a summary of the technical consultation on cooperation, that provides suggestions to strengthen cooperation on wildlife enforcement and related CITES matters between ASEAN-WEN and China, which include matters on information sharing and public awareness, capacity building and trainings, enforcement cooperation and coordination facilitation, and other areas of cooperation.

March 7, 2013 (Bangkok, Thailand) - The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Secretary-General Certificates of Commendation were presented to representatives from the National Inter-Agency CITES Enforcement Collaboration Group (NICECG) of China, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Wildlife Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN) and the Lusaka Agreement Task Force (LATF) for their role in Operation COBRA, a month long cross-continent joint operation to combat illegal wildlife trade. NICECG, ASEAN-WEN and LATF received the award during the first global meeting of wildlife enforcement networks (WENs) on the sidelines of the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES CoP 16). Ten WENs or groups operating within Africa, Asia, Europe, and North and South America, as well as proposed networks for Central Asia, West Asia and the Oceania/Pacific region, met to discuss cooperation on poaching and illicit trade activities. They also exchanged best practices and techniques on combating wildlife and forest crime. Participants expressed support for developing a network of wildlife enforcement networks or groups and recognized the value of the meeting, hosted by the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC).

222 Rat Snakes confiscated at Tarpalan Bridge between the Northern and Southern Shan States
and Elephant Poacher Prosecuted in Kyauktagar Township

On 28 January 2013 - a team comprised of Forest Department officials and Myanmar National Police Force seized 222 Rat Snakes as an action to combat wildlife trafficking at Tarpalan bridge, located at the border between the Northern and Southern Shan States. In accordance with the Protection of Wildlife and Protected Areas Law (1994), Myanmar National Police Force (Naung Cho Township) took action against the owner-carrier of the snakes. The defendant was charged according to Article No. 35(a) of the Protection of Wildlife and Protected Areas Law (1994). All the Rat Snakes were released into Shwe-U-Daung Wildlife Sanctuary.

Bangkok, Thailand, 18 February 2013 - Police, Customs and wildlife officers from Asia, Africa and the United States announced today that a cross border enforcement operation codenamed “COBRA” was successfully carried out. The month-long effort was described as “An international, intelligence-driven operation aimed at dismantling organized wildlife crime syndicates with significant results and the prospect for more.” The operation was a welcome and innovative initiative from countries, the first international effort of its kind to focus on the sharing of investigation information in real time among countries and a concerted response by law enforcement agencies of implicated countries and partnering institutions towards curtailing rampant wildlife crime. It facilitated increased cooperation among range, transit and consumer countries where significant seizures of contraband wildlife specimens and arrests of suspects involved were recorded. The use of specialized investigation techniques was promoted and a number of follow up investigations into the seizures were initiated.

Hmawbi, Yangon, Myanmar, 15 February 2013 - Law enforcement officers from across Myanmar participated in a series of workshops on wildlife trade and species identification last month, getting hands on training that will strengthen the resource-rich country’s ability to battle wildlife traffickers.

The workshops were organized and delivered by frontline officers who received prior training under a project funded by The Ministry of Environment-Japan, the secretariat of the East and Southeast Asia Biodiversity Information Initiative (ESABII).

The course aimed to provide taxonomic and legal information necessary to allow officers to identify species they find in trade; essential skills in the enforcement of wildlife trade legislation and protection of endangered species.

Close to two tonnes of illegal raw ivory tusks in transit in Singapore from Africa was intercepted by the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) and the Singapore Customs.

Cebu, Philippines, 22 January 2013, Forty five senior government officials from Coral Triangle countries, including Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines agreed to combat trans-boundary illegal fishing activities using new comprehensive guidelines.

The guidelines, developed during a workshop held on January 22-24, 2013 in Cebu, Philippines, address undocumented live fish trading, turtle poaching, switching of flags by a single fishing vessel, territorial incursions, and use of dynamite in blast fishing, among other issues. The government officials agreed to establish a technical team that will steer the implementation of these guidelines over the next year.

Cebu, Philippines, 21 January 2013, 100 regional enforcement officers from 12 provincial and national agencies participated in a Forum on Wildlife and Fishery Intelligence and Investigation. The forum was organized by the Coastal Law Enforcement Alliance in Region 7 (CLEAR7), a regional task force of leading law enforcement agencies implementing coastal, fisheries and wildlife laws in central Philippines.

The task force's forum discussed multi-level collaboration mechanisms and best practices. The US Coral Triangle Initiative Support Program, US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), US Coast Guard, and USAID-funded ARREST Program partners ASEAN-WEN and FREELAND Foundation provided specialized inputs in the development of CLEAR7's upcoming operational activities.

On January 21, 2013 - CITES Thailand's Wildlife Checkpoint at Suvarnabhumi Airport and the Royal Thai Customs, after inspecting a suspicious luggage believed to carry illegal articles which resembled animals in the xray images, rescued 11 live otters, 6 of which are Smooth-coated otters (Lutrogale perspicillata) and the rest being Oriental small-clawed otter (Aonyx cinereus). The luggage was opened after no one claimed ownership over the luggage.

The otters are considered as rare wildlife and protected In Thailand, thus requiring government permit for export. They were seized following section 27 of Customs Act, B.E. 2469; sections 16 and 17 of Customs Act, B.E. 2482; section 23 of Thailand Wild Animal Reservation and Protection Act, B.E. 2535; and the Animal Epidemics Act, B.E. 2499.

Suvarnabhumi International Airport, Thailand, January 6, 2013 - Royal Thai Customs, DNP CITES officials, and polices from Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division arrested a Vietnamese national for illegal possession of rhino horns. The suspect carried 4 rhino horns (6 pieces) weight 10.6 kg and worth around 18M THB from Ethiopia.

The suspect will face charges under the section 27 of Customs Act, B.E. 2469; the section 16,17 of Customs Act, B.E. 2482; and the section 23, 24 of Thailand Wild Animal Reservation and Protection Act, B.E. 2535.