Suvarnabhumi International Airport: Wildlife Law Enforcement

Law Enforcement Officers Dept: But Thai and foreign law enforcement officers tell another story: Officials working-hand-in-hand with traffickers ensure other shipments through Suvarnabhumi International Airport are whisked off before they reach customs inspection, according to The Chronicle Herald. And Southeast Asia s honest cops don t have it easy. It is very difficult for me. I have to sit among people who are both good and some who are corrupt, says Chanvut Vajrabukka, a retired police general. If I say, You have to go out and arrest that target, some in the room may well warn them, says Chanvut, who now advises ASEAN-WEN, the regional wildlife enforcement network and squealing tiger cubs stuffed into carry-on bags. Luggage packed with hundreds of squirming tortoises, elephant tusks, even water dragons and American paddlefish. Officials at Thailand s gateway airport tick off the illegally trafficked wildlife they ve seized over the past two years. It s a murky mix. A tenfold increase in wildlife law enforcement actions, including seizures, has been reported in the past six years in Southeast Asia. Yet, the trade s Mr.Bigs, masterful in taking advantage of pervasive corruption, appear immune to arrest and continue to orchestrate the decimation of wildlife in Thailand, the region and beyond. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.