The Star 22 Aug 09;
KUALA LUMPUR: A group of non-governmental organisations has lodged a police report against convicted wildlife smuggler Anson Wong.
The group included the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) and the Customs Department in the report.
Speaking to reporters after lodging the report at the Brickfields Police Station, Malaysian Animal Rights Society president R. Surendran said:
“The reason we are lodging the police report is because, over the years Perhilitan has failed to take any action against Wong for smuggling and has even given Wong special permits to catch and keep animals.
“We know that one of the modus operandi of wildlife traffickers is to get permits to keep animals and later declare them dead, when in actual fact, it has been smuggled out of the country.”
Last Friday, Surendran lodged a report
with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission on possible corruption involving Perhilitan.
Also present with Surendran yesterday were representatives from the Malaysian Animal Welfare Society, Pet Positive and the Indepen-dent Living and Training Centre.
Two MPs – S. Manikavasagam (Kapar) and M. Manogaran (Teluk Intan) – accompanied the group. Manikavasagam said he would raise the issue in Parliament during the October meeting.
Group: Probe wildlife smuggler
New Straits Times 22 Aug 09;
KUALA LUMPUR: Two members of parliament and three animal rights groups have lodged a police report against the National Parks and Wildlife Department for allegedly issuing permits to convicted wildlife trafficker Anson Wong to continue with his activities.
They also claimed that a top Customs official aided Wong in his illegal operations.
They called on police to probe the department's alleged link with Wong, which was made by author Bryan Christy in his book, The Lizard King.
The book details Wong's exploits in the 1990s before his arrest by United States wildlife authorities in 1998.
They also want police to investigate if Wong was involved in wildlife smuggling in the country and used Malaysia as a transit point since 1990.
The MPs are M. Manogaran (Teluk Intan) and S. Manikavasagam (Kapar), while the animal rights groups are Malaysian Animal Rights Society, Malaysian Animal Welfare Society and Pet Positive.
The report was lodged at Brickfields district police headquarters here yesterday.
They had also filed a report with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commision on Aug 14.
