Thailand arrests two after finding tiger body parts

Thai authorities have arrested two men accused of trying to smuggle tiger bones and meat to Vietnam on a bus, police said yesterday. The two suspects are Vietnamese nationals who allegedly paid around $900 for the products in Tak province on the Myanmar border, and planned to sell them back home for consumption.

Nattawat Wingthongtavipon from Muang Phitsanulok police station told AFP that the men were arrested late Wednesday in Phitsanulok province after a tip-off. “We found the guys...with an oversize bag, and the inside was stuffed with the smoked carcass and meat of a tiger, which they confessed were destined for Vietnam,” Nattawat said. The men were charged with possession of a protected species and are in police custody. Thailand is a popular hub for the multibillion-dollar illegal wildlife market and is also one of several countries in Southeast Asia -- including Vietnam -- where activists say tiger breeding farms have contributed to the trade.