Vietnam recalls diplomat filmed taking rhino horn in South Africa
Posted: 19 November 2008 2251 hrs

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HANOI: Vietnam said on Wednesday it would recall one of its diplomats from South Africa after she was filmed conducting an illegal transaction in rhinoceros horn.

Television footage shot two months ago in South Africa showed the diplomat talking to an agent of a rhino horn smuggling syndicate and then taking a horn back into the Vietnamese embassy in Pretoria, a news report said.

South Africa's Mail and Guardian newspaper quoted a South African government investigating team as saying Vietnamese embassy staff were thought to be involved in rhino horn trafficking, using diplomatic pouches.

Vietnam's foreign ministry spokesman Le Dung said in a statement sent to AFP that the "consistent policy of Vietnam is to actively protect wild animals and to ban the illegal trade in wild animals."

He said that the ministry had "decided to repatriate Mrs Vu Moc Anh, an official of the Vietnamese embassy in South Africa ... to Vietnam to make a report and clarify the affair."

The Mail and Guardian reported that more than 40 rhinos have been killed in South African national parks this year.

"Most fingers point to Vietnamese syndicates, which have sought to monopolise the rhino horn trade in recent years," the report said.

Rhino horn is used in traditional East Asian medicine to treat fever and high blood pressure.

Wildlife monitoring network TRAFFIC says Vietnam is a major destination and trans-shipment country for the illegal wildlife trade. - AFP/de