BANGKOK: Two men, one Thai and Vietnamese, were arrested on Wednesday after officials discovered they were hiding the bodies of two tigers and two leopards. The men have also been held in connection to the international illegal killing and smuggling of endangered species under international treaties signed by both Thailand and Malaysia, where the men had arrived from. Central Investigation Bureau deputy chief Maj-Gen Sriwara Rangpramnakun said initial investigations revealed that the carcasses were destined for China, en route from Thailand, Laos and Vietnam. Activists and international conservation experts, including an official with CITES – the treaty that regulates the trade in exotic animals – have called on the Thai government to hold the men accountable and ensure they face the full extent of the law. “We demand Thailand make sure they are put to the full level of the law,” the official told Bikyamasr.com, although she was not authorized to speak to the media. He said the carcasses were smuggled into Thailand from Malaysia through Sadao in Songkhla. According to the police, the men claimed that the dead tigers could fetch up to 700,000 baht each. Perhilitan, the Wildlife Protection and National Parks Department, said it had come across quite a number of cases of Malaysian-registered luxury cars being modified to hide illicit cargo of endangered animals. Another tactic was to hide illegal wildlife by mixing them with products such as fish and vegetables while some traffickers try to pass off the animals as airline cargo. Under the Wildlife Conservation Act, which went into effect recently, those caught smuggling endangered wildlife could face a fine of up to RM500,000 and mandatory jail time.
