Act on documents against 'Lizard King', gov't told

Backing up recent claims by Al Jazeera TV that convicted wildlife smuggler Anson Wong, also known as ‘The Lizard King’ was still active, PKR vice-president N Surendran has today produced documents linking a company that exports wildlife to Wong’s wife.

Surendran presented to reporters the water and electricity bills under the name of Wong’s wife - Cheah Bing Shee - with the same address as Rona Wildlife. The Al-Jazeera documentary, which aired on Nov 21, alleges that Rona Wildlife’s premises in Georgetown, Penang housed albino pythons and vipers. In that programme, a worker had claimed Wong was his boss. 

Since his arrest and imprisonment in 2010, Wong and his wife have both been banned from trading in wildlife.

“I say that there is clear corruption and complicity in Ministry/Perhilitan in continuing to issue permits to Anson & wife,” Surendran said in an email to Malaysiakini.

The Wildlife Department (Perhilitan) must act against Wong and not continue to deny that it can find no wrongdoing, Surendran (left) said.

After the Al Jazeera reportwas aired last month, Perhilitan enforcement agents had denied that Rona Wildlife had any links to Wong, but said they would investigate the couple.

In October 2010, the government had said it would ban Wong and his wife from getting any wildlife export permits. This was after Wong was caught heading for Jakarta with 95 boa constrictors and was sentenced to 17 months in prison. He was freed in February last year.

Natural Resources and Environment Minister G Palanivel told Al Jazeera reporter Steve Chao that he had not heard of the ‘Lizard King’, but added that many illegal activities went on undetected in Malaysia.  Wong, when confronted by Chao, refused to comment and simply said, “Ask the government.”

Surendran is the second Pakatan MP this week to charge that the government was lax in curbing illegal wildlife trade, a black market estimated to be worth some US$19 billion and is becoming as lucrative as drugs and arms.

Last week, Serdang MP Ong Kian Ming charged that Perhilitan seems to be unaware that Rona Wildlife, Wong’s front company, has already changed owners four months ago. 

Ong said that his own checks with the Companies Commission of Malaysia website found that the ownership of Rona Wildlife had changed from Radamani Govindan to K Kuppan on July 4, 2013.

“This shows that the ministry has done nothing,” Surendran said. “They should cancel their export permits for Rona Wildlife and immediately prosecute Anson Wong.” 

Perhilitan enforcement officers could not be reached to comment.