From the jungles of Indonesia, these exotic animals, including pangolins and even orang utans, endure an arduous journey across the seas to Kuala Perlis, Padang Besar, Hatyai and Laos – to reach their main destination, China.

“The syndicates choose the Padang Besar route because it is the closest route from Indonesia to Thailand.

“The wildlife traffickers travel by boat from Indonesia to the Kuala Perlis port in Malaysia and then to Thailand.

“Kuala Perlis is about 40km from the Padang Besar border,” Padang Besar customs service division director Arthit Visuttismajarn told Bernama recently on the proximity of Kuala Perlis with the Thai-Malaysia border.

Nevertheless, he cautioned that the Kuala Perlis-Padang Besar route was just one of the many smuggling routes taken by syndicates to send their “goods” to China, to satisfy the country’s burgeoning demand for exotic animals.

According to him, should the traffickers succeed in crossing the Malaysia-Thai border in Padang Besar, the exotic animals are handed over to other members of the syndicates in Hatyai, who take it to the Thai-Laos border and into China.

Hatyai is an important transit route for wildlife smuggling syndicates.

Thai customs officials have identified 11 “risky points” along the 12km stretch of the Thai-Malaysian border separating Perlis and the Sadao district of Songkla, which have been used by wildlife smugglers.

As a result, there is increased monitoring at these places.

Arthit said on June 7, his men stopped the smuggling of endangered turtles and rare coral at the border.

However, the biggest seizure of exotic wildlife was on July 21 this year at the Padang Besar immigration checkpoint when the authorities stopped a Malaysian-registered pick-up truck transporting various types of endangered animals, including a pair of two-month-old orang utans, hidden inside a suitcase.

Other exotic animals seized from the vehicle were the endangered Hamilton tortoises, Indian Star tortoises and six racoons, said Arthit, adding that a 63-year-old Malaysian driver was detained for questioning.

The Malaysian, who faces 10 years in prison upon conviction, had alleged he was paid to send the animals to another man in Hatyai.

On Aug 31, in the Prachuab Khiri Khan province, Thai customs seized 136 pangolins and 450kg of the animal’s scales. They were alleged to have originated from Indonesia and smuggled into Thailand via Malaysia.

The endangered animals and the scales were meant for use in traditional Chinese medicine in China, according to customs officials.

According to Arthit, the Padang Besar customs unit have seized more than 500 pangolins at the border checkpoint over the past several years.

Most of the pangolins, he said, came from Indonesia, with Thailand serving as the syndicates’ transit point before they headed for China.