Malaysian authorities complicit in Anson Wong's wildlife trading activities, slams Surendran

I refer to the decision of the Court of Appeal on 22 February 2012 releasing the notorious wildlife trafficker Anson Wong from prison. Firstly, we are shocked that the court of appeal ruled that there is no need to consider the torture of the 95 snakes which were squeezed into a small bag. Is the Court of Appeal saying that the torture of wildife is acceptable?

By this decision,the court of appeal has sent out a message to would-be offenders that there is nothing wrong in torturing wildlife and other animals. Under sentencing laws, violence and cruelty in committing any offence is an important factor in determining the sentence. Further, the Court of Appeal seems to have ignored the fact that torturing of wildlife is an offence in this country under section 86 of the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010.

The decision to free Anson Wong is a matter of great concern to everyone who is concerned with biodiversity and the preservation of our wildlife. Wong is a repeat offender who was jailed for over 5 years in the United States for wildlife trafficking.

Malaysia gave permits although Wong is a repeat offender

In Malaysia, Perhilitan and the Ministry of Natural Resources have allowed Wong to operate his wildlife trade business with impunity, despite his conviction in the US. Shockingly, Perhilitan and the Ministry continued to renew Wong's companies' wildlife permits during the time he was in jail in the US!

We call upon Perhilitan, the police and the A-G's Chambers to investigate Anson Wong's wildlife trading activities in Malaysia over the past decade and to take urgent action. The 2001 US indictment against Anson Wong showed that some of the smuggled animals originated in Malaysia. Why has no action been taken against Wong by Malaysian authorities on these offences?

We further note that despite his conviction in the US, Malaysian authorities had given the licences for the snakes. It is a great embarassment to us that while the US worked hard to put Wong in jail, Malaysia connives with Wong's wildlife trade activities which he used as a front for wildlife smuggling.

Malaysian authorities complicit in Wong's activities

This is clear proof that the authoriites are complicit in Anson Wong's activities. Malaysia has now become known as a major hub of the international wildlife trafficking.

Malaysian authorities must take urgent action to tackle the increasing levels of wildlife trafficking and to prevent further damage to our reputation globally. In this regard, we state that preservation and protection of Malaysia's biodiversity and wildlife is a matter of great importance to Keadilan and Pakatan Rakyat.

N Surendran is a rights lawyer and PKR vice president