The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is going to appoint an attaché at the embassy in Vietnam, who will specifically to work on the wildlife trafficking issue with Vietnamese partners, in early 2020, U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Daniel Kritenbrink has said in an interview with the Vietnam News Agency (VNA). This is part of a memorandum of understanding (MoU), which the U.S. side and Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security and other departments have recently signed, the ambassador said. He added that the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is also carrying out a program called “Saving Species” designed to improve Vietnam’s capacity to combat wildlife trafficking, working with law enforcement to enhance the legal and regulatory environment and also to help build the capacity of Vietnam’s civil society sector working on the issue. “These two primary programs are designed to help advance three main objectives…We want to help strengthen enforcement of Vietnam’s laws and regulations to combat wildlife trafficking, reduce demands for illegally-traded wildlife, and increase international cooperation,” the diplomat added. Mr. Kritenbrink also spoke highly of Vietnam’s new Penal Code, which has very impressive and strict provisions to punish wildlife trafficking. However, the country has been perhaps the number one market in the world now for illegal ivory, rhino horn, and pangolin scales. The U.S. side hopes to work with Vietnamese partners to carry out investigations and prosecute major crimes networks and their kingpins, he noted. (VietnamNews)
