Cambodia gets serious about its illegal ivory trade
The director-general of the Cambodian Department of Customs and Excise, Kun Nhim directed all branch directors to intensify their efforts and crack down on ivory smuggling. In a letter, Mr Nhim reminded branch chiefs: “Importing, exporting and transporting elephant and rhino ivory and furniture made from them are illegal acts.”
Mr Nhim’s instructions come after signs that Cambodia’s illicit ivory trade is expanding. In December, Cambodian authorities made their largest ivory seizure ever recorded on Cambodian soil. They found 3.2 tonnes of elephant tusks hidden in a storage container in the capital, Phenom Peng’s port. The container had arrived from Mozambique.
Another 600 kilograms of ivory was seized in Sihanoukville in January. The Department of Customs and Excise reported that it seized more than five tonnes of ivory between 2016 and 2018.
