VietNamNet Bridge – Central Quang Tri Province and neighbouring Savannakhet Province in Laos yesterday, May 23, vowed to increase information exchange and co-operation to control the smuggling of wild animals along the border.

The two sides agreed to share information on regulations concerning wild animal trade, strengthen bilateral co-operation between border law enforcement officials and co-operate to preserve nature and bio-diversity in the area at a two-day workshop in Quang Tri Province.

Participants left the workshop with a plan to develop a co-operation action plan on controlling wild animal smuggling between the two provinces.

Deputy director of the Viet Nam Administration of Forestry Ha Cong Tuan said wild animal smuggling across the Viet Nam-Laos border increased in recent years and became a "hot" issue, causing concern among the international community.

Many species of valuable and rare wild animals were threatened by illegal hunters and smuggling, which posed a high risk of extinction, he said, adding that wild animal smugglers tended to co-ordinate as a trans-national criminal network.

Scientists estimated that around 13-42 per cent of Southeast Asia's wild animal species would disappear completely in this century if smuggling was not curbed in a timely fashion.

The Vietnamese Government has implemented many activities with relevant agencies to prevent the exploitation and smuggling of wild animals and their products and has paid particular attention to curbing international smuggling.

Relevant Vietnamese agencies discovered and razed many international wild animal smuggling rings in 2009 and early 2010.

Quang Tri Province alone discovered and arrested people in more than 4,000 violations against forest development and protection regulations over the past five years, including 254 cases with wild animal concerns. Many of the wild animal smuggling instances led to criminal charges.

Quang Tri and Savannakhet share a 208-km border which includes two main border gates and five auxiliary border gates.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News