Thailand carries out tests on orangutans

Thailand carries out tests on orangutans

JAKARTA: Thailand said on Tuesday that it was still carrying
out DNA tests on dozens of orangutans in Bangkok to determine
whether or not they were from Indonesia, as alleged by animal
activists.

The Thai embassy in Jakarta said that, according to provisions
in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of
Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), DNA tests had to be performed to
determine the animals' country of origin.

"As Indonesia and Thailand are both parties to CITES, it
should be a common responsibility between origin and destination
countries to solve this problem," it said in a statement.

Animal activists have staged protests in front of the embassy
demanding the repatriation of orangutans allegedly smuggled out
from Indonesia to Thailand, where they were undergoing boxing
training. -- JP