PUTRAJAYA, NOV 1 – The authorities need to increase the enforcement of laws related to the protection of wild animals, including tightening inspection and monitoring procedures at the airport.
The Chairman of the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC), Tan Sri Dr Ismail Bakar, said the scanning machines at the country’s entrances need to be maintained regularly to ensure the machines operate optimally.
“EAIC will examine the real cause of the weaknesses in the existing surveillance and enforcement system and recommend proactive measures that need to be taken to improve the situation to ensure the integrity of enforcement officers is preserved and the protection of endangered species can be implemented more effectively,” he told Namedtoday.
He said this to comment on recent media reports about various species of golden turtles now being traded as valuable illegal commodities for smugglers.
Sources from the Department of Wildlife Protection and National Parks (Perhilitan) of Peninsular Malaysia revealed that based on intelligence, the syndicate used the services of several ‘hired donkeys’ to smuggle in the animals via commercial flights from abroad.
According to the department, it is common for endangered turtles to be hidden in luggage involving a large number, but it was a bit strange when the suspect managed to pass the X-ray scanning machine at the airport based on the previous arrests.
Ismail said EAIC takes the issue seriously because it shows weaknesses in the existing surveillance and enforcement system, which could lead to the risk of integrity leaks by enforcement agencies and officers. – Named
