Thailand told to return orangutans

Thailand told to return orangutans

ProFauna, an Indonesian non-governmental organization working
to protect endangered animals, renewed its demand on Monday for
Prime Minister of Thailand Thaksin Shinawatra to order the return
of Indonesian orangutans currently inhabiting Bangkok's tourism
center Safari World.

"Some 115 orangutans in Safari World were allegedly illegally-
traded from Kalimantan," ProFauna Indonesia's director Rozek
Nursaid told The Jakarta Post.

A number of ProFauna members held a rally (photo above) in
front of the Royal Thai Embassy in Jakarta to voice their demand.

ProFauna said its findings revealed that 1,000 orangutans are
smuggled for US$45,000 each from Kalimantan to Java and even to
other countries every year. The Thai Embassy has promised to send
the orangutans back to their origin upon completion of the legal
process, but to date, no animals have been returned, Rozek said.

Thaksin visited Indonesia for the Asian-African Summit, which
concluded on Sunday.

Thailand is among countries that support the establishment of
the South East Asian Regional Law Enforcement Network to Combat
Crimes against Nature.

Rozek regretted Thailand's slow response to ProFauna's demand.
--JP