Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

2013-07-09

The Convener of the Inter University Bhikku Federation (IUBF) Kimbullewe Chandananda Thera has been arrested by the Mirihana Police this evening (09), the Police Media Unit told Ceylon Today Online.

The Police further stated that Kimbullewe Chandananda Thera was arrested as there were 7 warrants issued against him. (Ceylon Today Online)

Interpol begins checking tusks' origin

By Risidra Mendis-2013-07-09

A team of Interpol officers are in the process of extracting samples from a consignment of illegal elephant tusks seized by the Sri Lanka Customs (SLC), as part of an international effort to verify their origins.

The process of taking samples from all 359 elephant tusks, valued at Rs 4.2 billion, commenced under the supervision of the officials attached to the Departments of Customs and Wildlife Conservation (DWLC), yesterday.

According to reliable sources, Kenya too has requested the Sri Lankan Government to send a piece of ivory to the US for DNA testing, at the time the illegal consignment was detected.

The 359 tusks, believed to be from African elephants, were detected by the SLC on 22 May at the Colombo Port while on their way to Dubai via Sri Lanka. This is also the largest consignment of elephant tusks detected in the South Asian Region.

Deputy Director of SLC Biodiversity and Protection Unit (BPU), Samantha Gunasekera, told Ceylon Today once the Interpol officers have taken samples from all 359 tusks, investigations will commence to trace the country of their origin.

"This was one of the largest consignments of elephant tusks detected in the country. Most of these tusks are very large and long and some were cut into two, so that they could be packed into the containers and concealed among the logs," Gunasekera pointed out. It is believed that a large number of elephants, including herds with babies, were slaughtered by poachers and their tusks cut and removed to be sold.

Trade in both Asian and African elephant tusks was banned in 1990, under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) of Wild Fauna and Flora.

He went on to say the three containers were in transit from Kenya and that only four countries, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia, have allowed the trade in ivory, as they have an over population of elephants.

These four countries, however, are allowed to export ivory only to Japan as part of an agreement between them. The legal tusks can be identified from the illegal ones as they are registered with CITES, and every tusk has a marking on the surface.

Another Customs official stressed if the ivory is legal it will be stamped with a country code and that the tusks seized in Colombo had no markings, and are believed to be from illegally killed elephants.

Customs officials also believe the elephant tusks had been buried in the earth for a period of time and were soaked in DDT to prevent them from being attacked by insects and pests, prior to being shipped out.