Technical meeting between Viet Nam and Laos on strengthening cross-border collaboration to combat wildlife trafficking
Da Nang, July 24, 2019: 40 representatives of the Police Department of Environmental Crime Prevention, Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Cyber Security and High-Tech Crime Prevention of Vietnam and Laos, Economic police and environmental police of Da Nang and the provinces located along the Vietnam-Laos border, included Ha Tinh, Nghe An, Quang Binh, Bolikhamxay and Khamuane participated in a bilateral meeting to discuss about cooperation to prevent and combat of illegal wildlife trafficking.
At the meeting, the police of the two countries shared information about the situation of illegal wildlife trade, especially ivory, rhino horn and tigers between Vietnam and Laos. Only in the period from 1/2010 to 6/2019, 1,133 individuals and 1,930 kg of wildlife were illegally trafficked from or via Laos to Vietnam. Wildlife crimes have increasingly sophisticated tactics, for example, they often hide wildlife on the luggage compartment of passenger cars.
Representatives of the two countries also exchanged information of the legal system and law enforcement, including the challenges posed to the authorities, especially to the police force, in the prevention and combating of illegal wildlife trafficking across the Vietnam - Laos border. Thereby, the two countries emphasized the importance of establishing a communication mechanism to enhance timely and effective information sharing between Vietnamese police and Lao police to ensure effectiveness in prevention and combating illegal activities related to wildlife.
Representatives of the environmental police of the two countries discussed the cooperation plan for the period 2019-2020, aiming to materialize and strengthen the commitment of cooperation between Vietnam and Laos, including joint investigation of illegal transnational wildlife trafficking, organizing training to improve capacity, and sharing experiences in investigating illegal wildlife trafficking for law enforcement officials of the two countries.
The meeting was organized by the Police Department of Environmental Crime Prevention, Vietnam Ministry of Public Security in collaboration with Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), with the support of the European Union (EU) and the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), United States Department of State and the UK Government through the project "Scaling Up Enforcement Capacity and Cooperation to Combat Wildlife Trafficking in Latin America and Southeast Asia".
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For details, please contact:
Ms. Tran Minh Phuc
Communication Officer
WCS Viet Nam
106, D Building, No. 3 Thanh Cong Street, Thanh Cong Ward, Ba Dinh District, Ha Noi
Tel: 024 3514 9750
Mobile: 0985189475
Email: tphuc@wcs.org
About WCS:
WCS has worked in Viet Nam since 2006 with a focus on combating illegal wildlife trafficking. WCS works to degrade, disrupt, and dismantle wildlife trafficking networks and reduce poaching pressure on wildlife populations. We facilitate collaboration and cross-agency action at domestic and international scales between key law enforcement agencies, the judiciary, natural resource regulatory agencies, and domestic and international non-governmental organizations. Our efforts have led to enhanced enforcement effectiveness, through the successful arrest, prosecution, and conviction of wildlife criminals.
Website: https://vietnam.wcs.org/