VIETNAM BANS WILDLIFE TRADE AMID PANDEMIC

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has ordered the suspension of wildlife trade as the country weathers the coronavirus pandemic with 412 cases and not a single fatality, Kyodo news agency reported from Hanoi late on July 24, 2020.

According to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA), the directive issued Thursday calls for suspending the import of wildlife, as well as their parts or derivatives, with the notable exception of those used in medicines. Localities are required to abolish wildlife markets and to strictly tackle the illegal hunting, buying, selling, transporting, slaughtering, consuming, storing, advertising and abuse of wildlife.

"The directive stresses Vietnam's consistent view on tightening the enforcement of national and international laws on wildlife in order to realize its relevant international commitments," VNA said. It added that Phuc ordered government ministries to consider heavier punishments relating to illegal wildlife trade and consumption.

The move comes about a week after three ivory traffickers were sentenced to 10-11 years each by a Hanoi court for trading over 200 kilos of ivory from African elephants. The origins of the current novel coronavirus pandemic are widely thought to lie in wildlife trade, the Mainichi Shimbun also reported.