Laos Officials Exposed for Animal Trafficking

The Guardian recently wrote a piece revealing how the Laos prime minister office have been cutting deals with illegal animal traffickers and pocketing thousands of dollars in the process. These actions violate both Laos national laws and international laws. Action against these Laos officials have yet to be taken, though Laos remains a member of CITES, the international treaty for protecting wildlife.

The article discusses in details several prominent, known traffickers. Interestingly, the Laos government has been aware of the traffickers' illegal activity, but refused to do anything for years despite outside, public acknowledgment and evidence of these crimes, which suggests deep levels of government corruption. The use of farms to breed tigers and other animals was also described, and the conditions that these animals are subject to are deeply disturbing (to me, at least).

The corruption of the Laos government makes me wonder about the impact of globalization, which is reflected by trafficking. Laos, as explained by the article, is a key country for trafficking routes, linking Africa and Asian countries like China and Vietnam. The Laos government seems to be using its location as an advantage; does their location matter in other contexts? It also seems that corruption is a part of Laos modernity, so to what degree do religion (Buddhism) and politics (communism) intersect with globalization and corruption?

Read more here: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/sep/27/revealed-how-senior-...