{"id":466421,"date":"2011-07-22T18:27:36","date_gmt":"2011-07-22T18:27:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.net\/2011\/07\/22\/smugglers-buy-hunting-permits-for-thai-prostitutes\/"},"modified":"2011-07-22T18:27:36","modified_gmt":"2011-07-22T18:27:36","slug":"smugglers-buy-hunting-permits-for-thai-prostitutes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/07\/22\/smugglers-buy-hunting-permits-for-thai-prostitutes\/","title":{"rendered":"Smugglers Buy Hunting Permits for Thai Prostitutes"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"South<\/a><\/p>\n

22 July 2011<\/p>\n

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Johannesburg \u2014 An alleged rhino horn trafficking syndicate acquired fake hunting permits for Thai prostitutes before “legally” selling trophies to a front company in Asia, reports said on Friday.<\/p>\n

The syndicate, Xaysavang Trading Export Import, allegedly sold the horns on the black market, making up to R60 million in profit, said the weekly Mail and Guardian newspaper.<\/p>\n

It was quoting John Olivier, a Thai Airways manager, who worked with the syndicate but decided to blow the whistle on his alleged accomplices.<\/p>\n

He made a statement to the police, which led to the arrest of the syndicate’s alleged leader, Chemlong Lemtongthai, 43, who appeared in the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court, east of Johannesburg, on Friday.<\/p>\n

National Prosecuting Authority spokeswoman Charlene Labuschagne said his case was postponed to August 12.<\/p>\n

One of the other main players in the syndicate was named as Marnus Steyl, a game farmer who allegedly sourced the rhinos for the canned hunting.<\/p>\n

But Steyl told Beeld newspaper, which also ran with the story on Friday, that everything he had done was above board.<\/p>\n

“We know our things are in order. Everything is above board, it can’t be any other way.”<\/p>\n

Beeld said Steyl stood to earn about R16 million for an order of 50 sets of rhino horns.<\/p>\n

The Hawks have declined to comment on the reports.<\/p>\n

“There’s an ongoing investigation and we won’t comment further on it,” Hawks spokesman Colonel McIntosh Polela told Sapa.<\/p>\n

The syndicate was allegedly exploiting legislation which allows “trophy hunting” of rhinos, to obtain vast quantities of horn for the lucrative black markets of Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.<\/p>\n

The front company would allegedly place an order for rhino horns in South Africa.<\/p>\n

Lemtongthai allegedly co-ordinated the acquisition of rhino horn trophies in South Africa and ensured that permits were arranged and costs paid.<\/p>\n

He had another man, Punpitak Chunchom, allegedly assisting him. Chunchom recently left South Africa after pleading guilty to the illegal possession of lion bones, said Beeld.<\/p>\n

Steyl would allegedly find the rhinos for Lemtongthai.<\/p>\n

He would buy the animals from auctions and private owners and then allegedly move them to a farm in North West and soon after that they would be “hunted”, in contravention of regulations that the animals must be given time to acclimatise.<\/p>\n

“Once the rhinos were established on Steyl’s farm he would call Lemtongthai and tell him how many animals were in place for a ‘hunt’ [If] Steyl had supplied three rhinos Lemtongthai would call Chunchom and tell him that he needed three ‘hunters’ and Chunchom would know that he needed to find three Thai nationals to hunt the rhinos,” Olivier said in his statement to the police.<\/p>\n

Sometimes friends would be called in to hunt, or Steyl would allegedly be given the passports of Thai prostitutes and strippers, and apply for permits for them to hunt rhino.<\/p>\n

The Thai prostitutes would be taken to a farm where they would pose for a picture with an already dead rhino. The women would be paid R5000 per picture.<\/p>\n

Olivier said: “The ladies are taken out to Steyl’s farm, where they are made comfortable and then introduced to the professional hunter.<\/p>\n

“[He] would show them the rifle and even take the girls to a quiet spot where they could let off one or two shots so that they can later say that they have at least fired the weapon.”<\/p>\n

Several pictures were published in Beeld and Mail and Guardian of Thai women posing with rifles next to dead rhinos.<\/p>\n

Hunting regulations allow one rhino hunt per hunter in a year. Only rhino trophies are allowed to be exported.<\/p>\n

After the “hunt”, the rhino horns would be removed, sent to a taxidermist and dried out.<\/p>\n

The trophies would then be “sold” to the front company for R65,000 per kilogram.<\/p>\n

From there, the front company would sell the rhino horn for between US35,000 and US55,000 per kilogram on the black market in Asia.<\/p>\n

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\nSmugglers Buy Hunting Permits for Thai Prostitutes<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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