SEREMBAN, April 30 — Malaysia today torched nearly four tonnes of elephant tusks and ivory products as part of an effort to stop smugglers using the country as a conduit to China and elsewhere in Asia, a minister said.
Conservationists say Malaysia is a favoured transit point for the illegal flow of ivory between Africa and Asia.
Authorities seized 3.92 tonnes of tusks and products worth about RM13.3 million at Malaysian airports and ports between 2011 and 2017, said the minister for water, Land and natural resources, Xavier Jayakumar.
“Smugglers use Malaysia as a transport hub, where they are shipped before being sent to other countries such as Hong Kong, Vietnam and China,” he told reporters.
The contraband ivory was burned at a big incinerator to ensure it stays off the black market, Xavier said.
Malaysian officials in August seized 50 rhinoceros horns bound for Vietnam, valued at nearly US$12 million (RM49.6 million).
China banned the sale of ivory within its borders in 2017, but conservationists say it has failed to deter smugglers. — Reuters
