South Korean man arrested for smuggling endangered tortoises in Bangkok

Officers at the Wildlife Checkpoint at Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok arrested a South Korean man on December 25, for attempting to smuggle seven radiated tortoises, an endangered species, out of Thailand.

The chief of the checkpoint, Narongrit Sukprakarn, were checking passengers’ baggage at the international departures terminal on the third floor of the airport and spotted the suspicious baggage of the South Korean man, 24 year old Kim Yung.

Officers found seven radiated turtles, also known as Astrochelys radiata, in his luggage. The tortoises were listed as controlled animals in Thailand and were banned from international trade after being hunted.

The animals originated from the island of Madagascar in southern Africa. People loved the pattern of their shells and tried to make them into pets. Locals with financial issues usually catch and sell them to make a living. The price of them rises high to about 10,000 to 15,000 baht in a black market according to Kom Chad Luek.

Their habitat is quite similar to the atmosphere in Thailand, making it possible to breed them in Thailand, but the numbers were not great.

The live animals were confiscated and taken to the Greencop and later transferred to the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation for a health check.

The South Korean suspect faces two charges including:

• Section 23 of the Wild Animal Conservation and Protection Act: importing or exporting controlled animals out of the country without permission. The penalty will be imprisonment of up to ten years, a fine of up to 1 million baht, or both.
• Section 242 of the Customs Act: importing or exporting goods which have not been passed through customs processes or without permission. The penalty will be imprisonment of up to 10 years, a fine of four times the goods’ price and customs fee, or both.

Two days before the arrest of the South Korean man, officers arrested a Thai transwoman at her rented room in the Isaan province of Ubon Ratchathani for attempting to ship radiated tortoises out of the country.

The arrest followed the discovery of the turtles in a package at Suvarnabhumi Airport. The animals were in separate tights and packed in a stainless steel pot. The suspect denied the charges and said her friend had borrowed her ID card to send the parcel.