Bangkok--27 Oct--FREELAND Foundation
Following a spate of seizures, stings and arrests exposing high volume illegal African elephant ivory trade in Asia, the Royal Thai Police, USAID-supported ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN) and FREELAND Foundation are facilitating a groundbreaking joint training and intelligence exchange for wildlife investigators from Africa and Asia.
Event: Regional Investigators Training Course (RITC) and Intelligence Exchange
Where: International Law Enforcement Academy — Bangkok
88/8 Moo 3, Vibhavadee Rangsit Rd., Talad Bangkhen, Laksi
When: November 1-4, 2010
[Opening Ceremony begins Monday November 1st at 8.30am]
Press invited to attend Nov 1-2 but must pre-register for entry to ILEA.
Event hosted by the Royal Thai Police and sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
To pre-register as a media observer, attend the opening ceremony or to arrange interviews, please contact Mook Wongchyakul or Seamas McCaffrey at FREELAND Foundation via
telephone: (02) 204-2719 to 21, or email:
[email protected]
Participants & Presenters: Senior Police, Customs and Forestry investigators from all 10 ASEAN countries + China, India, Kenya and Uganda. Royal Thai Police, Lusaka Agreement Task Force, Wildlife Crime Control Bureau of India, INTERPOL, ASEANAPOL, UNODC, UNEP, World Customs Organization, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Department of Justice’s International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP), the ASEAN-WEN Program Coordination Unit and FREELAND Foundation.
Why:
1. Hundreds of tons of ivory is estimated to be traded illegally each year, with thousands of elephants killed to supply this unsustainable black market.
2. Thousands of tons of pangolins are taken from forests in Southeast Asia for human consumption every year, pushing this unique scaly anteater towards extinction.
3. Less than 3,500 wild tigers may be left roaming the planet due to poaching to supply industries including traditional medicine, fashion and the exotic pet trade.