Animal smuggling

POLICE in Stung Treng province have arrested a 55-year-old man on suspicion of trying to smuggle baby monkeys and lizards into Vietnam.

Pang Lux, a provincial police officer involved in the arrest, said the suspect, Kampong Cham province resident Chey Sithoeun, was caught trying to transport the haul – which weighed a total of 63 kilograms – across the border on a motorbike on Saturday night.

“We seized 63 kilograms of wild animals, including alligators and monkeys, which we suspect were being smuggled [to Vietnam],” he said. He added that the animals had been sent to the Forestry Administration, and that officials had not decided whether to send the suspect to court.