Article: Rare animal bones, skins and organs seized

January 14, 2009 Categories: Asean+

Rare animal bones, skins and organs seized

Hanoi: Police have seized two tonnes of rare animal remains from a store, a police official said yesterday.

Nguyen Viet Tien, deputy head of Hanoi’s environmental police, said the animal parts were found in the capital’s Dong Da district.

They included seven frozen bear legs and gall bladders, six sets of tiger skins and the intestines of six porcupines.

Police arrested the store’s owner, Nguyen Thi Thanh Tam. She admitted to having traded in wild animals for the past 10 years.

"Each kilogramme of animal remains sells for an average of 300,000 dong (RM63) on the black market," said Tien. Vietnam has signed the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species and traffickers are subject to large fines and imprisonment. — dpa

Political protests nixed work permit renewals

Singapore: The government has explained its decision not to renew the work permit of two Myanmar nationals, saying they had gone beyond the law allowed in staging political protests.

The case involves two Myanmar nationals who were part of a group that held a protest march against their country’s ruling junta during the 2007 Asean Summit held in Singapore, according to yesterday's report in Straits Times, citing an online posting of one of the Singapore protesters.

The Manpower and Home Affairs ministries said in a joint statement on Monday, that the Myanmar nationals had threatened to lobby with political pressure through the media and agitate foreign public opinion against the Singapore authorities so as to compel them to concede to their demands. — dpa

Indonesian president launches third music album

Jakarta: President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has launched a third pop album comprising instrumental versions of his 10 previously recorded songs.

The album, dubbed Evolution and launched on Sunday in a lavish concert attended by cabinet ministers, features some of the country's veteran classical, rock and jazz musicians.

"These works express my feelings and thoughts as president and an ordinary human being," Yudhoyono was quoted as saying in www.presidensby.info.

"I want to invite my compatriots to unite and devote themselves to a better future for the nation," he said. — dpa

This article was taken from: The Malay Mail: Asean+ 14 January 2009