Thailand to return smuggled orangutans to Indonesia

Thailand to return smuggled orangutans to Indonesia

Slamet Susanto and Tarko Sudiarno, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

A year-long effort to return rare Indonesian orangutans
trafficked illegally to Thailand will finally happen, with a
delegation from the Thai police visited Indonesia to check the
final preparations for the repatriation.

The team from the Thai forestry police led by Maj. Gen. Swake
Pinsinchai said on Sunday that his visit was aimed at ensuring
Indonesia's readiness to accept the endangered primates, as well
as to strengthen cooperation to end the trade in protected
animals.

"I will present reports of my visit here to the Thai
authorities so as to speed up the repatriation process," Swake
told a press conference here.

Speaking through an interpreter, he added the visit reflected
his government's seriousness in bringing the species back to
their natural habitat.

However, there was no specific date for the return of the
primates or the number of orangutans in question.

Orangutan are an endangered primate living in Kalimantan and
Sumatra.

After a year-long investigation it was found that 150
orangutan were in the hands of Bangkok Safari World, and were
being ill-treated as show attractions.

Swake said most orangutans were illegally acquired with the
backing of certain high-ranking officials in Thailand, and were
put on display for boxing competitions as well as other
entertainment purposes.

The ill-treatment of the primates caused a uproar among
Indonesian wildlife activists, who demanded the return of the
animals to their original habitat.

A non-governmental organization, the Borneo Orangutan Survival
Fund (BOSF), funded the DNA-testing of the primates to confirm
that they originated from Indonesia.

Swake said the illicit trade in orangutans was a high-profile
issue, since it concerns a business involving millions of baht
and had almost cost him his post.

During his visit, the Thai police held a meeting with
Indonesia's Minister of Forestry, Malam Sambat Kaban. Also
present were BOSF director, Willie Smits, and the ministry's
director general for wildlife conservation, Widodo S. Ramono.

Smits said in July 2004 that the Thai government should have
returned 50 orangutans, but the promise never materialized.

"We are more than ready to take care of the orangutans, as we
have the site to accommodate 3,000 of them," Smits told the press
conference.