USAID RDM/A Regional Environment Office Weekly Report Week Ending June 20, 2008

Harrison Ford, World Bank President, and ASEAN-WEN Discuss Cooperation on Tiger Conservation. On June 9, 2008, the head of the ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN) Program Coordination Unit joined Harrison Ford, World Bank President Robert Zoellick, and 25 NGOs for the launch of the World Bank’s global "Tiger Conservation Initiative" in Washington, DC. Royal Thai Police Major General Surasit Sangkhaphong spoke to the organizers about ASEAN-WEN's groundbreaking efforts to control nature crimes and the illegal wildlife trade in Southeast Asia, which represent a serious threat to the world's remaining wild tigers. Zoellick told Sangkhaphong that "ASEAN-WEN appears to be one of the most promising efforts we've noticed on this subject matter." The USAID-supported ASEAN-WEN has received growing international recognition as a key cooperative initiative for biodiversity protection.

Malaysian Court Takes Tough Stand Against Wildlife Trafficking. The ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN) Program Coordination Unit congratulated Malaysian authorities for the conviction and sentencing of a wildlife trafficker. The authorities caught the 43-year old Indonesian man on June 3, 2008, with approximately 200 kg of pangolin scales, 137 python skins, and 100 water monitor lizard skins. The court handed down a 32-month sentence to the trafficker, who had pled guilty. USAID supports ASEAN-WEN’s wildlife law enforcement training activities, including workshops for prosecutors and judges, throughout the region.