Anson Wong Jailed for 95 Snakes On A Plane -6 Months and $61,000 Fine
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) 9/6/10 - A Malaysian was jailed for six months and fined 190,000 ringgit ($61,000) for trying to smuggle 95 snakes out of the country, a sentence that campaigners said was too light.
Anson Wong, already convicted of trafficking in wildlife in the United States in 2001, pleaded guilty last week and will start his sentence on Sept. 13.
Under Malaysian law, Wong could have faced seven years in jail and fines of up to 100,000 ringgit ($32,000) for each snake up to a maximum of a million ringgit or both.
Wong was detained when in transit from the Malaysian island state of Penang to the Indonesian capital Jakarta on Aug. 26 when staff at Kuala Lumpur airport were alerted to a bag that had broken while on a conveyor belt.
They found 95 boa constrictors, two rhinoceros vipers and a matamata turtle inside the bag.
The U.S. Department of Justice said Wong had pleaded guilty to a trafficking in the United States in 2001 and was sentenced to 71 months in jail.
TRAFFIC, a wildlife trade monitoring organisation, said the sentence indicated unwillingness by Malaysian authorities to get tough with real wildlife criminals and to show the world it was serious about wildlife trafficking.
"This is a tragedy. It clearly tells wildlife traffickers that they have little to fear from Malaysian law," said TRAFFIC Southeast Asia regional director, William Schaedla.
Showing posts with label malaysia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label malaysia. Show all posts
Monday, September 6, 2010
Anson Wong Jailed for 95 Snakes On A Plane -6 Months and $61,000 Fine (Via HerpDigest)
Anson Wong Jailed for 95 Snakes On A Plane -6 Months and $61,000 Fine
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) 9/6/10 - A Malaysian was jailed for six months and fined 190,000 ringgit ($61,000) for trying to smuggle 95 snakes out of the country, a sentence that campaigners said was too light.
Anson Wong, already convicted of trafficking in wildlife in the United States in 2001, pleaded guilty last week and will start his sentence on Sept. 13.
Under Malaysian law, Wong could have faced seven years in jail and fines of up to 100,000 ringgit ($32,000) for each snake up to a maximum of a million ringgit or both.
Wong was detained when in transit from the Malaysian island state of Penang to the Indonesian capital Jakarta on Aug. 26 when staff at Kuala Lumpur airport were alerted to a bag that had broken while on a conveyor belt.
They found 95 boa constrictors, two rhinoceros vipers and a matamata turtle inside the bag.
The U.S. Department of Justice said Wong had pleaded guilty to a trafficking in the United States in 2001 and was sentenced to 71 months in jail.
TRAFFIC, a wildlife trade monitoring organisation, said the sentence indicated unwillingness by Malaysian authorities to get tough with real wildlife criminals and to show the world it was serious about wildlife trafficking.
"This is a tragedy. It clearly tells wildlife traffickers that they have little to fear from Malaysian law," said TRAFFIC Southeast Asia regional director, William Schaedla.
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) 9/6/10 - A Malaysian was jailed for six months and fined 190,000 ringgit ($61,000) for trying to smuggle 95 snakes out of the country, a sentence that campaigners said was too light.
Anson Wong, already convicted of trafficking in wildlife in the United States in 2001, pleaded guilty last week and will start his sentence on Sept. 13.
Under Malaysian law, Wong could have faced seven years in jail and fines of up to 100,000 ringgit ($32,000) for each snake up to a maximum of a million ringgit or both.
Wong was detained when in transit from the Malaysian island state of Penang to the Indonesian capital Jakarta on Aug. 26 when staff at Kuala Lumpur airport were alerted to a bag that had broken while on a conveyor belt.
They found 95 boa constrictors, two rhinoceros vipers and a matamata turtle inside the bag.
The U.S. Department of Justice said Wong had pleaded guilty to a trafficking in the United States in 2001 and was sentenced to 71 months in jail.
TRAFFIC, a wildlife trade monitoring organisation, said the sentence indicated unwillingness by Malaysian authorities to get tough with real wildlife criminals and to show the world it was serious about wildlife trafficking.
"This is a tragedy. It clearly tells wildlife traffickers that they have little to fear from Malaysian law," said TRAFFIC Southeast Asia regional director, William Schaedla.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Malaysian politician floored by stinky fruit
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/7889068/Malaysian-politician-floored-by-stinky-fruit.html
Malaysian politician floored by stinky fruit
A Malaysian politician has been hospitalised after gorging himself on durian, a south east Asian fruit that is widely-banned in public places because of its pungent smell.
By Malcolm Moore in Kuala Lumpur
Published: 7:00AM BST 14 Jul 2010
Durian, which is revered as the "king of fruits" in south east Asia, has a particularly rich and creamy flesh that is high in fat and sugar.
The 19th-century British naturalist, Alfred Russel Wallace, described it as similar to "a rich custard highly flavoured with almonds, but there are occasional wafts of flavour that call to mind cream cheese, onion sauce, sherry wine and other incongruous dishes".
More recently, Anthony Burgess, the novelist, said eating durian was "like eating raspberry blancmange in the lavatory". The odour of the durian is so strong that the fruit is forbidden on public transport, aeroplanes and in hotels.
Ahmad Lai Bujang, a 61-year-old member of the Malaysian parliament for the Sibuti region was rushed to hospital complaining of breathlessness and dizziness after a durian and mutton banquet last week.
"Ahmad loosened his tie and we noticed that he stopped laughing with us and his eyes rolled back. The other people at the dinner immediately started to rub his forehead and ask if he was all right," said Datuk Idris Haron, another politician present.
Mr Ahmad has since been discharged from Kuala Lumpur hospital. "I ate too many durians that day. There were four different varieties and all were very tasty. The doctors warned me against it in the future, so I will stay away from the fruit for a month," he said.
"People eating durian experience a bloated feeling which lasts for hours because of the high calorific content," said Dr Lee Boon Chye, a cardiologist.
Malaysian politician floored by stinky fruit
A Malaysian politician has been hospitalised after gorging himself on durian, a south east Asian fruit that is widely-banned in public places because of its pungent smell.
By Malcolm Moore in Kuala Lumpur
Published: 7:00AM BST 14 Jul 2010
Durian, which is revered as the "king of fruits" in south east Asia, has a particularly rich and creamy flesh that is high in fat and sugar.
The 19th-century British naturalist, Alfred Russel Wallace, described it as similar to "a rich custard highly flavoured with almonds, but there are occasional wafts of flavour that call to mind cream cheese, onion sauce, sherry wine and other incongruous dishes".
More recently, Anthony Burgess, the novelist, said eating durian was "like eating raspberry blancmange in the lavatory". The odour of the durian is so strong that the fruit is forbidden on public transport, aeroplanes and in hotels.
Ahmad Lai Bujang, a 61-year-old member of the Malaysian parliament for the Sibuti region was rushed to hospital complaining of breathlessness and dizziness after a durian and mutton banquet last week.
"Ahmad loosened his tie and we noticed that he stopped laughing with us and his eyes rolled back. The other people at the dinner immediately started to rub his forehead and ask if he was all right," said Datuk Idris Haron, another politician present.
Mr Ahmad has since been discharged from Kuala Lumpur hospital. "I ate too many durians that day. There were four different varieties and all were very tasty. The doctors warned me against it in the future, so I will stay away from the fruit for a month," he said.
"People eating durian experience a bloated feeling which lasts for hours because of the high calorific content," said Dr Lee Boon Chye, a cardiologist.
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