U.S. expedition team fined

U.S. expedition team fined

KUALA LUMPUR (AP): Two scientists and 14 cave explorers from the United States have been fined 20,000 ringgit ($5,260) for collecting rare invertebrates from a Borneo rain forest without a permit, a government official said Saturday.

State authorities imposed the maximum fine on the expedition from the Alabama-based National Speleological Society after the scientists acknowledged on Friday to collecting 600 biological specimens from the Gunung Buda Gunung Buda forest reserve in Sarawak state, the official said.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the scientists did not have proper papers, confirming reports from several reports in local newspapers.

The two men were not arrested when they were caught Thursday. All 16 expedition members flew back to the United States from Sarawak state early Saturday, she said.

Officials refused to release the names of the scientists.

The expedition, which arrived here on Jan. 31, had applied for a permit to collect wildlife but their applications had not been approved yet. Instead, they were allowed to conduct six weeks of mapping and surveying work in the Gunung Buda.