URGENT SOLUTIONS FOR PREVENTING AND FIGHTING THE VIOLATION OF WILD ANIMALS AGAINST THE LAW

On February 20, 2014, the Prime Minister issued the Directive No. 03/CT-TTg on bolstering instructions and solutions for the control and conservation of endangered rare wild animals. Ministers, bodies and provincial People’s Committees are thereof requested to adopt synchronously nine solutions to preclude violations of domestic and international laws concerning endangered and rare wild animals. In the past time, authorities and agencies have exerted efforts and produced constructive changes in the fighting and eradication of international networks through which wild animals are illegally trafficked.

However, local crafting and sale of products made from wild animals, such as ivory and rhino horn, are still complicated activities that defies the law. Such activities adversely impact on the position, reputation and commitments of Vietnam in executing international conventions, multilateral and bilateral treaties in which Vietnam has engaged.

In order to prevent and fight effectively the organized crime of selling ivory, rhino horn and products made from endangered and rare wild animals, the Prime Minister requests ministries, bodies and provincial People's Committees to continue implementing the Directive No. 03/CT-TTg in a stringent manner, particularly the following primary solutions:

1. Provincial People’s Committees direct local agencies to inspect and penalize strictly the trafficking of ivory and rhino horn against the law. Inspections shall aim attention at traditional craft villages, processing facilities, souvenir shops at tourist spots or in airports and piers, stores selling and preparing traditional medicine, etc. The result of remedial activities shall be published on mass media. Heads of local executive committees of Vietnam Communist Party and local authorities shall be held responsible to the Prime Minister for the infractions occurring in their administrative areas.

2. Ministry of Public Security leads and cooperates with the Ministry of National defense, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural development, Ministry of Natural resources and Environment in investigating and obliterating transnational networks of organized crimes of selling, purchasing, hoarding, trafficking, exporting, importing, re-exporting, importing temporarily then re-exporting specimens of wild animals and plants, especially ivory and rhino horn. It shall lead and cooperate with the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural development and Ministry of Natural resources and Environment in inspecting, at a more intensive level, and penalizing strictly the illegal domestic sale, advertising and consumption of specimens of ivory and rhino horn.

3. Ministry of Agriculture and Rural development shall direct the CITES agency to counsel the joint Steering Committee to control the sale of wild animals. It shall augment cooperation in sharing information, investigating, apprehending and penalizing perpetrators of crimes against endangered and rare wild animals, particularly ivory and rhino horn. Cooperate with the Ministry of Information and Communications in propagandizing and propagating to every entity the laws that protect endangered and rare animals and plants.

4. The agencies competent to investigate, prosecute, adjudicate and handling administrative violations shall focus on scrutinizing the unlawful exportation, importation, trafficking, sale, processing, storage, advertising and consumption of wild animals and plants, especially ivory, rhino horn and tiger specimens. They shall expedite the settlement of incidents as per the current laws and publish the result of their works.

5. Vietnam Television, Voice of Vietnam and mass media agencies shall enhance broadcasts of good practices in conserving wild animals and controlling their sale. They shall actively expose and firmly criticize activities that breach the laws of Vietnam and international conventions on the conservation of endangered and rare wild animals. They shall actively propagandize and educate on laws while proposing state management solutions to competent authorities.

6. Ministries, relevant authorities and provincial People's Committees shall report to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural development, which then reports to the Prime Minister, about the implementation of the Directive No. 03/CT-TTg and this Directive by the 31^st of October each year. They shall actively inform the CITES agency of Vietnam of the infractions concerning specimens to which CITES's appendices apply and the settlement of such infractions. They shall hand over or provide specimens of wild animals which CITES’s Appendix 1 governs for international examination, storage and exchange with relevant member states and the international Secretariat of CITES according to the regulations of CITES./.