Three tonnes of ivory seized in Thailand

BANGKOK, April 27 (TNA) - Thailand's Customs Department, under the Ministry of Finance, has seized three tonnes of African elephant tusks, worth about 200 million baht (about 6.2 million US dollars), sent from Kenya and destined to Laos, Vietnam and China. Thai Natural Resources and Environment Minister General Dapong Rattanasuwan and the customs officials announced the confiscation of the ivory tusks at a press conference in Bangkok on Monday. General Dapong said that, out of the total, 511 elephant tusks were hidden in containers on cargo ship and fraudulently declared as tea leaves from Africa destined to Laos. According to the minister, the shipping company, however, informed Thai customs authorities to inspect the suspicious goods, leading to their seizure. (TNA)