{"id":20107183,"date":"2022-12-06T12:30:00","date_gmt":"2022-12-06T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thethirdpole.net\/?p=107183"},"modified":"2022-12-20T17:17:38","modified_gmt":"2022-12-20T11:47:38","slug":"globe-head-cambodian-official-arrested-on-wildlife-trafficking-charges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/nature\/globe-head-cambodian-official-arrested-on-wildlife-trafficking-charges\/","title":{"rendered":"Cambodian official arrested on wildlife trafficking charges could serve as \u2018wake-up call\u2019 for primate trade"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Editor\u2019s note:<\/strong> The Third Pole was present at the 19th Conference of the Parties to CITES \u2013 the global wildlife trade summit \u2013 when this story broke. Naturally, the head of the Cambodian delegation to CITES being arrested en route to the meeting on charges of wildlife trafficking caused a stir among attendees for its timely irony. But most importantly, the story highlights how corruption threatens to render ineffective even well-designed policy interventions to protect biodiversity \u2013 an issue that reaches far beyond Cambodia. As experts repeatedly emphasised in interviews with The Third Pole, the additional protections agreed at CITES CoP19<\/a> \u2013 for a host of species from sharks to tropical trees \u2013 will only be as effective as their implementation. Read our summary of the summit\u2019s outcomes here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Masphal Kry was en route to an international meeting about trade regulations for endangered species. As the deputy director of wildlife and biodiversity for Cambodia\u2019s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, this was part of his job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But in what conservationists call an \u201cironic tragedy\u201d, Kry was apprehended in New York for smuggling endangered wild monkeys into the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He\u2019s one of eight people charged as part of an \u201cinternational primate smuggling ring\u201d, which includes the director-general of Cambodia\u2019s Forestry Administration, as well as the owner, general manager and four employees of primate supplier, Vanny Resources and Bio Research, according to the US Department of Justice. (Vanny Resources is based in Hong Kong; its subsidiary Vanny Bio Research is based in Cambodia.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The alleged smuggling ring is part of a global, billion-dollar wildlife trade industry, which in Cambodia has long been under suspicion of trafficking wild macaques<\/a> through the legal trade of captive-bred monkeys.

Bribes for ministry officials reached tens of thousands of dollars over the years, a US court document indicated, which also noted a hefty donation from Vanny Bio Research to Cambodia\u2019s ruling political party at the request of the now-indicted director-general.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the Cambodian government remains tight-lipped, conservationists wonder if the charges will spark change. Today, primatologists fear that ecosystems without macaques could have concerning effects on Southeast Asia\u2019s forests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A juvenile long-tailed macaque in the forests within Cambodia\u2019s Angkor Archeological Park. (Photo \u00a9 Anton L Delgado \/ Southeast Asia Globe)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Long-tailed macaques are considered the most traded primate in the world because of their use in laboratory research, which includes the development of the Covid-19 vaccine. In July, the macaque was uplisted from \u2018vulnerable\u2019 to \u2018endangered\u2019 on the Red List of Threatened Species<\/a>, which listed \u2018biological use\u2019 as primary main threat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe practice of illegally taking them from their habitat to end up in a lab is something we need to stop,\u201d said Juan Antonio Gonzalez, a US attorney. \u201cGreed should never come before responsible conservation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cambodia\u2019s exports of long-tailed macaques to the US date back to 2000, and the industry has boomed since then. A United Nations-managed trade database<\/a> has recorded the export of more than 100,000 macaques, listed as \u2018live\u2019 or \u2018specimens\u2019, from Cambodia to the US in the following two decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bookending this ongoing trade relationship, which began with the first-recorded export of 200 macaque specimens in 2000, is a Maleth Aero flight that had a cargo of more than 700 live long-tailed macaques and departed Phnom Penh the same day the indictments were announced. The final destination \u2013 Washington, DC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe fact you have government officials involved, surely must raise question marks as to what could be happening in other facilities in Cambodia,\u201d said Sarah Kite, who is co-founder of Action for Primates, a campaign group that monitors primate transportation. \u201cThe irony and tragedy for the macaques is that the same person supposed to protect and conserve the species has been indicted for the very opposite \u2013 plundering the wild populations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Covering the charges<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The US Department of Justice announced<\/a> Kry\u2019s arrest on 16 November, also slapping charges against Cambodia\u2019s Forestry Administration Director General Keo Omaliss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indictments were also issued against six Vanny Resources and Bio Research employees: founder and owner James Man Sang Lau, general manager Dickson Lau, deputy general manager Sunny Chan, export manager Raphael Cheung Man, finance officer Sarah Yeung and manager of the Cambodia facilities Hing Ip Chung.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A view of a primate breeding centre in Cambodia. This photo was shared by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in a press release responding to the arrest and indictments.<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Vanny Bio Research has declined several requests to tour its two breeding facilities in Cambodia. The largest one, which spans 40 hectares, is a stone\u2019s throw away from a provincial Forestry Administration building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Omaliss did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Similar requests from Southeast Asia Globe about past investigations into the government\u2019s role in macaque breeding<\/a>, forest developments<\/a> and reforestation initiatives<\/a> have been ignored.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a press release, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries wrote that it was \u201csurprised and saddened\u201d to hear about Kry\u2019s arrest, and saw eye to eye with conservationists about the \u201cbig irony\u201d that he was apprehended on the way to a United Nations-backed meeting<\/a> about the protection of endangered species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ministry dug its heels in by stating that macaques \u201care not caught from the wilderness and smuggled out\u201d and that rules and regulations had been respected. The statement ended with a ministry promise to \u201cseek justice for our officials\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Dith Tina did not respond to requests for comment. Thuok Nao, who works with Omaliss at the ministry and the CITES Management Authority of Cambodia, wrote in an email that \u201cthe Cambodian government is trying its best to respond to this incident\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The national headquarters of Cambodia\u2019s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in Cambodia capital Phnom Penh (Photos \u00a9 Anton L Delgado \/ Southeast Asia Globe)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Cambodia\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has issued a diplomatic note to the US embassy in Phnom Penh requesting clarification about the arrest and \u201cfor the release of Mr Kry and for him to stay at the Cambodian embassy in Washington\u201d, Nao shared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe United States is a leader in the global fight against the illicit trade in wildlife and views the trafficking of protected wildlife as a threat to good governance and rule of law while destabilising our environment,\u201d wrote Stephanie Arzate, a spokesperson for the US embassy in Phnom Penh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

US Homeland Security Agent Ricky Patel stated in the Department of Justice\u2019s 16 November press release that federal agencies will continue \u201cleveraging all of our authorities to stop people and organisations from violating our laws \u2013 regardless of where they reside in the world\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Long-tailed macaques in breeding facilities in Cambodia (Photos \u00a9 Cruelty Free International)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The trade of threatened primates like long-tailed macaques is legal on the condition that requirements by the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES, are met. The backbone of the convention is a permit system<\/a>, which confirms that rules regarding animal welfare and breeding requirements, among others, are followed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nao, who chairs the Cambodian delegation to the 19th Conference of the Parties \u2013 the event Kry was travelling to \u2013 stated that a meeting had been arranged with the secretary-general of CITES to discuss the situation. He declined to share more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An indictment in US law is considered an accusation and defendants are innocent unless proven guilty. The court document, filed in the state of Florida, lists dozens of illegal \u201covert acts\u201d. If found guilty, defendants would have violated CITES, according to American and Cambodian laws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The alleged crimes committed include capturing wild macaques from protected areas in Cambodia, falsifying export permits, as well as offering and accepting bribes, according to the court document. If found guilty, the defendants face jail time of up to five years for conspiracy, up to 20 years for smuggling and fines of up to USD 250,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWild populations of long-tailed macaques, as well as the health and well-being of the American public, are put at risk when these animals are removed from their natural habitat and illegally sold in the United States and elsewhere,” said Edward Grace of the US Fish and Wildlife Service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A wild long-tailed macaque in a wildlife sanctuary in northern Cambodia (Photo \u00a9 Anton L Delgado \/ Southeast Asia Globe)<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In 2014, the CITES Management Authority in Cambodia submitted a letter to the CITES Secretariat, which is one of the only public documents with information about the then six breeding facilities in the Kingdom. The letter stated that the capture of wild monkeys was outlawed in 2010, following the issuing of permits for nearly 37,800 macaques to be taken from the wild between 2003 to 2009.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The now-indicted Omaliss, who also serves as the chairman of the CITES Scientific Authority for Terrestrial Forest and Wildlife Resources in Cambodia, said in a 2016 article by Khmer Times (widely considered to be a pro-government news outlet) that no licence for the capture of wild macaques had been approved since 2010.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is no legal approval for any person to do any wild captures. If this is going to happen, it will not be good for supporting conservation of primates,\u201d Omaliss said in the 2016 article. \u201cIt\u2019s completely illegal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A US warrant has been signed for Omaliss\u2019s arrest, as of early November.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Wild long-tailed macaques in protected areas across Cambodia (Photos \u00a9 Anton L Delgado \/ Southeast Asia Globe)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The alleged crimes are said to have begun on an \u201cunknown date\u201d, but began at least as early as December 2017 and continued through January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About USD 80,000 is alleged to have changed hands between Vanny Bio Research and ministry officials, according to the 27-page court document, which accuses Omaliss and Kry of overseeing these transactions, as well as organising the capture and delivery of thousands of wild macaques.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a specific 2018 example, the court document alleges that Omaliss and Kry agreed to receive cash payments in exchange for taking wild macaques from national parks and protected areas and delivering them to a breeding facility, as well as providing false CITES export permits for 3,000 monkeys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each macaque was allegedly worth USD 220 of \u201ctea money\u201d, a colloquialism used in the Kingdom to refer to a bribe. This is a significant sum when compared with Cambodia\u2019s recently raised minimum wage of USD 200 a month for garment workers, a major industry in the Kingdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shuffled among alleged transactions is mention of a 2018 internal accounting document from Vanny Bio Research which reflects a USD 10,000 donation made to the ruling Cambodian People\u2019s Party at the request of Omaliss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The donation was made a month before the Kingdom\u2019s general elections, which, following the dissolution of a main opposition party in 2017, fell firmly into the hands of Prime Minister Hun Sen, whose 37-year rule of Cambodia has made him the longest-serving prime minister in Southeast Asia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cambodia\u2019s monkey business<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The total global value of the long-tailed macaque trade was worth around USD 1.25 billion from 2010 to 2019, with the primate industry in Cambodia<\/a> valued at USD 11.3 million in 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n