 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Seoul (AFP) May 2, 2011 A senior South Korean diplomat faces an investigation for bringing ivory home following a posting in Africa, officials said Monday. South Korean customs inspectors found some 10 pieces of ivory in the shipment of the unidentified diplomat, a customs official who declined to be named told AFP. The man will soon be summoned by customs who will investigate the case before deciding whether to refer it to prosecutors. "We don't know for now whether he was intentionally trying to smuggle the ivory, or whether someone else stuffed the items into his parcels without his knowledge," the official said. The diplomat had not reported the ivory, the trade of which is banned by a global pact on endangered animals, he added. The diplomat told the foreign ministry he received the ivory as gifts from officials in Ivory Coast. The items were mistakenly packed in his shipment during a rushed departure amid the civil conflict there. "That's what he claims... we will decide the level of punishment in line with the result of the investigation," a foreign ministry spokesman told AFP. Yonhap news agency, citing diplomatic sources, said Foreign Minister Kim Sung-Hwan urged customs authorities to "take stern measures in line with the law". International trade in ivory was banned in 1989 but seizures have risen dramatically in the past five years.
Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links Darwin Today At TerraDaily.com
Jump in communication skills led to species explosion in electric fishesSt. Louis MO (SPX) May 02, 2011 Bruce Carlson stands next to a fish tank in his lab, holding a putty colored Radio Shack amplifier connected to two wires whose insulation has been stripped. At the bottom of the tank a nondescript little fish lurks in a sawed-off section of PVC pipe. Carlson sticks the two bare wires into the tank. Suddenly we hear a rapid-fire pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop. The pops, which are surprisingl ... read more |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2010 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
YahooMyWeb
Google
Facebook
