Action taken to protect wildlife

With reference to your article Thai restaurant serves up rare animals (February 25, 1997), please be informed that Thailand's Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives instructed the Royal Forestry Department to investigate the matter.

The Royal Forestry Department has taken the following action:

1. Issued a regulation on wildlife protection which was implemented at the provincial level on June 18, 1996 and July 23, 1997. The main issues were:

a. Instruct officials to closely implement the regulation in regard to wildlife trade and the carcasses of protected wildlife. There have been campaigns including notification of the public, letters seeking cooperation from restaurants and also information published in local newspapers to educate people about the illegality of the above matters.

b. Ensured officials pay closer attention and quite regularly inspect tourist areas and surrounding restaurants.

c. Other resolutions depend on operations at the provincial level to ensure that wildlife and carcasses are no longer traded.

2. The Royal Forest Department has discovered that Kaitong restaurant, as mentioned in the article, no longer exists and there have been no other restaurants in the Chiangmai province that sell wildlife food.

However the province has also implemented regulatory measures including:

a. Circulating the wildlife act, particularly to the owners and customers of restaurants.

b. Investigating restaurants within the city and out of town for 10 days every month.

We hope that Bangkok's response can, at least, explain our awareness of wildlife issues.

SUTHEE INTRASKUL

First Secretary (Agriculture)

For Minister-Counselor (Agriculture)

Thai embassy, Jakarta