Vietnam: Hanoi seizes illegal ivory shipment

(AGI) - Hanoi, 7 Oct - Around a half tonne of ivory hidden in a timber shipment has been seized in Vietnam, local newspapers reported on Friday, the second large haul of the illegally-trafficked product in a week in this country. Although the ivory trade is banned in Vietnam, Southeast Asia country remains a top market for ivory products prized locally for decorative and medicinal purposes. It is also a busy thoroughfare for tusks trafficked from Africa destined for other parts of Asia. The latest ivory haul was discovered at a Ho Chi Minh City port in two crates of timber from Mozambique. This catch follows last week's discovery of 300 kilogrammes of elephant ivory in Hanoi's airport, where officials found tusks from Nigeria falsely labelled as glass. Vietnam outlawed the ivory trade in 1992, but shops still sell ivory and weak law enforcement has allowed its illegal trade to persist. Vietnam is hosting an international conference on illegal wildlife trade from November 17 to 18. (AGI) .