Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. Space Travel News .




FLORA AND FAUNA
Officials misleading public on 'Lizard King' : opposition
by Staff Writers
Kuala Lumpur (AFP) Dec 04, 2013


Opposition lawmakers in Malaysia claimed Wednesday to have proof notorious wildlife trafficker Anson Wong is linked to a company selling pythons and other animals, accusing authorities of "misleading the public".

An Al Jazeera report last month alleged that Wong, dubbed the "Lizard King", and his wife Cheah Bing Shee were still involved in the wildlife trade through a company called Rona Wildlife.

This was despite the government revoking Wong's licenses after he was jailed in 2010 for attempting to smuggle 95 boa constrictors to Indonesia.

The Natural Resources and Environment Ministry said last week that Rona Wildlife did not belong to Wong, despite a worker in the Al Jazeera video saying his boss was "Anson". The video showed albino pythons and other animals in cages at the company.

But opposition parliamentarians showed utility bills naming Cheah as the owner of Rona Wildlife's premises in the northern state of Penang, as well as permits issued by the wildlife department to Rona in December 2012 and June this year.

"The ministry has lied and misled the public when it said Rona was not Anson Wong's outfit. There is no way it could've operated without complicity and corruption from the authorities," N. Surendran, a lawmaker with opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's party, said.

He added the water and electricity bills naming Cheah strengthened the case that Rona was owned by proxies of the couple after the admission by the worker in the Al Jazeera video that he worked for Wong.

His opposition colleague Ong Kian Ming called on graftbusters to investigate Wildlife Department officials, claiming they might be on the take from Wong for letting him off the hook.

Wildlife department enforcement director Kadir Hashim told AFP he would look into the fresh claims against Rona but did not comment further.

He had said last month in response to the expose that Wong's permits remained revoked, and the department was investigating both him and his wife.

In the video, Al Jazeera confronted Wong, who was released in 2012 by a Malaysian appeals court, on camera but he declined to comment.

Illegal trade in wildlife is thought to be worth at least $19 billion a year worldwide, according to conservation groups.

Wong is described by wildlife groups as one of the world's most active smugglers of wild animals.

He was sentenced to 71 months in jail in the United States in 2001 after pleading guilty to trafficking in endangered reptiles.

Despite efforts by Southeast Asian authorities to stop animal smuggling, the practice continues, posing a threat to a number of already endangered species, conservationists say.

.


Related Links
Darwin Today At TerraDaily.com






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








FLORA AND FAUNA
Researchers find a missing component in effort to create primitive, synthetic cells
Boston MA (SPX) Dec 08, 2013
A team of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators working to create "protocells" - primitive synthetic cells consisting of a nucleic acid strand encased within a membrane-bound compartment - have accomplished an important step towards their goal. In Science, the investigators describe a solution to what could have been a critical problem - the potential incompatibility between a ... read more


FLORA AND FAUNA
SpaceX postpones first satellite launch

Second rocket launch site depends on satellite size, cost-benefit

Private US launch of satellite delayed

Stepping up Vega launcher production

FLORA AND FAUNA
Deep Space Perils For Indian Spacecraft

Curiosity Resumes Science After Analysis of Voltage Issue

Winter Means Less Power for Solar Panels

Unusual greenhouse gases may have raised ancient Martian temperature

FLORA AND FAUNA
China launches first moon rover mission

Japanese firm describes proposed 'power belt' for the moon

Helping China To The Moon

Spotlight on China's Moon Rover

FLORA AND FAUNA
The Sounds of New Horizons

On the Path to Pluto, 5 AU and Closing

SwRI study finds that Pluto satellites' orbital ballet may hint of long-ago collisions

Archival Hubble Images Reveal Neptune's "Lost" Inner Moon

FLORA AND FAUNA
The State of Super Earths

Search for habitable planets should be more conservative

NASA Kepler Results Usher in a New Era of Astronomy

Astronomers answer key question: How common are habitable planets?

FLORA AND FAUNA
South Korea to launch homegrown rocket by 2020

XCOR and ULA Achieve Major Milestone With Liquid Hydrogen Engine

Wind Tunnel Testing Used to Understand the Unsteady Side of Aerodynamics

NASA and Sweden to test High Performance Green Propulsion technology

FLORA AND FAUNA
Designer: moon rover uses cutting-edge technology

Commentary: Lunar probe boosts "Chinese dream"

China to launch moon rover on Monday

China's "triple jump" progress in lunar probes

FLORA AND FAUNA
NASA Investigating the Life of Comet ISON

Rock Comet Sprouts a Tail

Comet ISON probably did not survive Sun skirmish

Comet ISON vs. the Solar Storm




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement