ID :
355666
Thu, 01/29/2015 - 13:10
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Thailand's new ivory law takes effect

BANGKOK, January 29 (TNA) - Thailand's Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, announces that the new ivory law has taken effect since January 22, 2015, warning people who own ivory tusks and products made from ivory to report their possession to authorities within 90 days as required by the law. The department's director-general, Niphon Chotibal, told journalists on Thursday that the new law and the amended wildlife conservation and protection act are strictly controlling the possession and trade in ivory and products made from ivory and their owners are now required to report their possession to authorities concerned within the 90-day deadline, which falls on April 21, 2015, with violators to be liable to a fine of up to 3 million baht each. Besides, traders of ivory and products made from ivory must seek licenses for their business from the director-general; otherwise, they will be, each, liable to a jail term of up to three years or a fine of up to 6 million baht. Niphon said importers and exporters of ivory must also seek approval and comply with regulations, with violators to be liable to the same degrees of imprisonment and fines. Niphon noted that laws and regulations have been amended to define African elephants as protected animals in order to block trade in African ivory and the amendment also requires ivory registration to include elephants' DNA and microchip data to prevent foreign ivory from being disguised as local ivory. According to the senior official, Thailand's improved control on ivory responds positively to recommendations of the Standing Committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Thailand is required to respond to the CITES' standing committee within March 2015; otherwise, the Kingdom's wildlife and wild plant trade, worth at least 47 billion baht a year, would be boycotted. (TNA)

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