PM lauds Cites red list exclusion

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has urged authorities to not let down their guard after Thailand was dropped from the Cites watchlist of countries identified by the watchdog as a major market for illegal ivories from Africa.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites) is an international agreement between governments that monitors trade in endangered species, and Thailand is one of its 183 members.

Government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd said that the government’s effort to address the issue have finally paid off.

According to Lt Gen Sansern, the prime minister called on authorities to keep up their good work, which has helped the country avoid possible trade sanctions that may cost up to 47 billion baht a year.

“The government worked out an action plan against the illegal ivory trade in 2014 and has since amended two laws to better regulate the possession of ivory products,” he said.

Somkiat Soontornpitakkool, director of the wildlife and flora conservation division at the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) said the country no longer has to to submit a report to Cites and follow the National Ivory Action Plan (NIAP) after being removed from the watchlist.

The decision to remove Thailand was made at the Cites meeting in Sochi, Russia, between Oct 1-5.

The panel expressed satisfaction with the country’s efforts to stamp out the illegal ivory trade.

Mr Somkiat, who attending the meeting in Russia, said several measures have been taken over the years to address the problem, including the listing of African ivory as a protected item under Thai laws.

Last year, the Customs Department confiscated a total of 16,730 items of ivory products, weighing about 75 kg and valued at 7.5 million baht in its crackdown on the trade of illegal ivory.