17 March, 2021. By ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer.
Thai police and anti-money laundering authorities say they have seized or frozen more than $11 million in assets in a sting operation against a suspected wildlife trafficking ring.
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Thai police and anti-money laundering authorities say they have seized or frozen more than $11 million in assets in a sting operation against a suspected wildlife trafficking ring.
‘A monster we left in the corner’: The endurance of Asia’s tiger trade and the new ‘Tiger Queens’2/17/2021 Secretive ‘zoos’ across Thailand and Laos are running the trade in big cat parts. The seizure of goods en route from Nigeria to Vietnam was shocking in only its size. The Nigerian Customs Service, working with British Border Force officers, intercepted a shipment of 10 tonnes of tusks, bones and scales, believed to be from 709 elephants, 11 lions and 10,658 pangolins. More than one year into a pandemic believed to potentially have the illegal wildlife trade at its origins, with over two million officially reported dead and trillions of dollars lost; wildlife trafficking appears in rude health.
Speaking exclusively to the Evening Standard, under the condition of anonymity, a former undercover Thai police officer tells Abbianca of the current climate of corruption. Prosecutors, police officers, international airlines and even diplomats in South East Asia have been working with criminal gangs to smuggle millions of pounds worth of endangered Rhino horns through border crossings so they can go on to reach customers in China and Vietnam.
Stop the Illegal Wildlife Trade: How smugglers are being caught by their own mobile phone data.2/9/2021 Technology that can find links in complex criminal webs has become the latest tool in the fight against poachers. t was a typical day for Nikorn Wongprajan, who was manning the office of the Department of National Parks Plant and Animal Quarantine at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Thailand. If everything went as it usually did, he would help a low-level smuggler of endangered species flying into the airport by hiding the rhinohorn they were carrying in his office. Then, using his security clearance, he would take the illegal cargo out of the airport in his duffel bag, avoiding customs and X-rays.
Kraisak Choonhavan (left centre), Chairman of Freeland, signs Memorandum of Understanding with Isra Sunthornvut (right centre), Secretary General of ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) to join forces against human trafficking in Southeast Asia. Kasit Piromya (left) and Steven Galster (right) of Freeland's Board of Directors witness the event. Kraisak Choonhaven, former Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Thai Senate, and Chairman of Freeland, signed on behalf of the NGO. “Freeland and AIPA have been collaborating to combat wildlife trafficking by helping ASEAN lawmakers strengthen and harmonize legislation for some time,” said Chairman Kraisak. “This new MoU will follow the same path of our common strengths to address human trafficking, while also identifying and supporting champion advocates toward a trafficking-free ASEAN.” Freeland is a frontline civil society organization working for a world that is free of wildlife trafficking and human slavery. Their team of law enforcement, development and communications specialists work alongside partners in Asia, Africa and the Americas to build capacity, raise awareness, strengthen networks and promote good governance to protect critical ecosystems and vulnerable people.
Social Network Sex Slave Boss Gets Prison Term and Must Pay Victims Bangkok, January 27, 2016: Today civil society organizations and human trafficking victims celebrated a victory against organized crime. The Thai Government has confirmed that the leader of a social network slave syndicate that lured women from Thailand and Vietnam to Malaysia for employment in restaurants, but then forced them into prostitution, has pleaded guilty, and will serve a prison sentence and financially compensate six victims. Meanwhile, another senior member of the same syndicate has been identified and was arrested over the weekend in a cross-border case that involves ongoing cooperation among NGOs, the governments of Thailand and Malaysia, and victims. Kheng Hsiang Low, a.k.a. Steven Low, was using social media sites since December 2012 to recruit women from Thailand, Vietnam and other countries to work at a disguised brothel in Malaysia. Low was the leader of a group that also traveled to Thailand to conduct business and recruit from Bangkok, Pattaya and southern locations in Thailand. Facebook postings advertised the jobs for a club and restaurant, while in fact the women were put to work as sex workers upon arrival. Freeland helped identify the victims, and then provided information to Thailand’s Department of Special Investigations (DSI), which then rescued one victim, who testified against Low through a Freeland representative. Further information corroborated and collected by DSI was used to convict Low, whopleaded guilty, while also agreeing to pay out substantial compensation to six of the victims so far. DSI’s ongoing probe, assisted by the victims, also led to the capture and arrest of another Malaysian national, Sam Wong Fook Sing, last Friday, January 22nd in Dan Nok, Songkhla province, southern Thailand. The case is ongoing and is being touted by NGOs as a victim-centric model for cross border and public-private sector collaboration. More alleged members ofthe syndicate are being tried in Thai court, but marking a turn from the past, the victims have agreed to testify fully through an endorsed representative ofFreeland, as well as directly through live video. In the past, the overwhelming majority of victims would refuse to cooperate with authorities because they either did not trust law enforcement officers or want to face their abusers in court, or both. “This case is a great example of how we can put more human traffickers out of business,” said Freeland’s Director, Steven Galster. “The key to success here was trust. Trust among the victims, the NGOs and the Government. We worked together from start to finish, and justice is being served. Thailand’s DSI and prosecutors are to be congratulated for their fine work. We are confident that more such cooperation will evolve in Thailand and across ASEAN member countries.” Last year, distressed victims reached out for help through social networking lines to friends, who in turn contacted Freeland, a counter-trafficking group, for help. Freeland in turn worked with the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), which corroborated the information and built a solid case against the syndicate. Freeland and its partner in Liberty Alliance, Exodus Road, then helped gain safety and care for the victims. Exodus sponsored care for the victims once repatriated to Thailand. Freeland and Exodus Road are part of counter-trafficking alliance called Liberty Alliance, which also includes Liberty Asia. Liberty Alliance provides information and other technical support to law enforcement agencies, while providing care for victims and education to support prevention, as well as legal assistance. Liberty Alliance does not publicize its specific means of gathering information or providing victim care, but does advertise general help through hotlines and social media sites.
Counter-trafficking network also used social media to find traffickers Bangkok, July 24, 2015: Acting on information and analysis from Freeland, Thailand's Department of Special Investigations (DSI) today announced the arrest of three people for running a human trafficking network that used Facebook and other social media sites to recruit, dupe and intimidate victims across Southeast Asian borders for over two years. Kheng Hsiang Low, a.k.a. Steven Low, a Malaysian national, used social media sites to recruit women from Thailand, Vietnam and other countries to work at a disguised brothel in Malaysia. Mr. Low was the leader of a group that also traveled to Thailand to conduct business and recruit from Bangkok, Pattaya and a southern Thai city. Facebook postings advertised the jobs for a club and restaurant, while in fact the women were put to work as sex workers upon arrival. Distressed victims reached out for help through social networking lines to friends, who in turn contacted Freeland, a counter-trafficking group for help. Freeland in turn worked with the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) and Exodus Road, a partner counter trafficking group, to support information sharing between the victims and law enforcement authorities, including with the Thai Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, to first gain safety and care for the victims. Exodus Road also sponsored care for the victims. DSI conducted its own thorough investigation, collecting evidence against Mr. Low and other members of his network before issuing arrest warrants on July 19, 2015. "DSI took our analysis, corroborated it, and added much more information to this case before taking professional action," said Sombat Tuengwiwat, Director of Intelligence Analysis of Freeland. "DSI is to be congratulated for breaking up this human trafficking syndicate, including removing the boss and his senior team from harming more victims." Furthermore, Freeland will represent the victims when the case is brought up to court. Matt Parker, CEO of Exodus Road said, “This case is a good example of how social media is being used as a tool by traffickers to lure impressionable job-seekers into slavery. It has been encouraging to see the members of Liberty Alliance support law enforcement’s efforts, including ongoing support for victim care.” Freeland and Exodus Road are part of counter-trafficking alliance called "Liberty Alliance", which also includes Liberty Asia. Liberty Alliance provides information and other technical support to law enforcement agencies, while providing care for victims and education to support prevention, as well as legal assistance. The Liberty Alliance does not publicize its specific means of gathering information or providing victim care, but does advertise general help through hotlines and social media sites.
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