Malaysia: Talks underway on safe closure of Johor landfill

The Star 29 May 19;

KLUANG: The Johor government will hold talks with the Federal government to discuss the safe closure of the CEP 1 landfill in Simpang Renggam, said its MP Dr Maszlee Malik.

He said special provisions in relation to the closure would also be negotiated and he hoped the landfill would be closed completely soon.

He said the Simpang Renggam parliamentary office, state and federal government had undertaken various holistic efforts to resolve the issue of river pollution and ways to have clean water supply for the people of Simpang Renggam and the surrounding areas.

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Malaysia: Government goes after waste importers

Dawn Chan New Straits Times 29 May 19;

PORT KLANG: Malaysia is putting a stop to the practice of dumping foreign garbage on its soil.

For a start, 60 containers filled with 3,000 tonnes of garbage will be shipped off to their countries of origin in the near future.

The first phase of the operation began by getting rid of 10 containers, filled to the brim with 450 tonnes of contaminated plastic waste. They originated from the United States, Japan, Canada, Australia, China, Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh.

The containers have been stuck at Westports Malaysia in Pulau Indah here since April last year. In addition, five containers have been sent back to Spain on April 29, while 50 other containers that have been brought in illegally are being inspected.

The Environmental Quality Act 1974 was enforced against the importers, made up of local players, beginning yesterday. A notice would be served on them with the instruction to start the process of shipping the containers back to the countries of origin (exporters).

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Malaysia: Xavier Jayakumar instructs Perhilitan to look into monkey shooting case

martin carvalho The Star 27 May 19;

KUALA LUMPUR: The Wildlife and National Park Protection Department (Perhilitan) has been directed to investigate the case where an 18-year-old man allegedly shot and killed a caged monkey in Sitiawan.

"Investigations by the police have been completed and they have submitted their papers to the Attorney-General.

"I have also instructed Perhilitan to look at the case and see what enactments they can take action under," said

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Sumatran rhinoceros: Indonesia can help save species

Olivia Miwil New Straits Times 29 May 19;

KOTA KINABALU: Hopes for the survival of the Sumatran rhinoceros lie in the cooperation between Malaysia and Indonesia for a breeding programme.

Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Christina Liew said the Sabah government still had one remaining female Sumatran rhinoceros, Iman, which is being kept at Borneo Rhino Sanctuary in Tabin here.

Liew, who is also state tourism, culture and environment minister, said the 25-year-old rhino was found to have massive uterine fibroids when it was captured in 2014.

“Despite the tumours in its uterus, Iman is still producing eggs which can be harvested.

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Vietnam seizes 5 tonnes of pangolin scales from Nigeria

AFP 24 May 19;

Vietnam police have seized more than five tonnes of pangolin scales stashed in a cashew shipment from Nigeria, the government said Friday.

Communist Vietnam is a hotbed for the illegal wildlife trade, where animal products from elephant ivory to rhino horn and tiger bones are consumed domestically and also smuggled abroad.

Police on Thursday found 5.3 tonnes of pangolins scales hidden in a shipment from Nigeria at a port in southern Ba Ria Vung Tau province, according to Hai Quan, the official mouthpiece of Vietnam Customs.

"The scales were stuffed into 151 sacks inside a container... (and) bags of raw cashew nuts were used as a disguise in order to avoid detection from authorities," the online news website said Friday.

The government confirmed Thursday's haul and also announced a separate seizure of 8.3 tonnes of pangolin scales from "an African country" in the northern Haiphong port earlier this month.

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Africa's elephant poaching is in decline, analysis suggests

Researchers still fearful as approximately 10,000 to 15,000 are killed every year
Press Association The Guardian 28 May 19;

Elephant poaching rates in Africa are declining, according to a study published in the journal Nature Communications.

The annual poaching mortality rate fell from a high of more than 10% in 2011 to less than 4% in 2017, but the researchers warned that current levels were still unsustainable and could spell trouble for the future of the animals on the continent.

An estimated 350,000 elephants remain in Africa, but 10,000 to 15,000 are killed by poachers every year.

The team, from the University of York, University of Freiburg and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, analysed data from 53 protected sites across 29 countries between 2002 and 2017.

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