Hai authorities have seized 700 kilograms of smuggled ivory, worth around one million U.S. dollars, officials say. The elephant tusks, 289 pieces, were packed in a box which originated from Nigeria and travelled through Singapore before landed in Thailand's southern Koh Samui Customs on December 10, the Customs Department said in a statement. Authorities have now launched an investigation into the shipment and those behind it. The seizure comes as Thailand - a top destination for African ivory smuggling in Asia - is under increasing pressure to crack down on its illegal ivory trade or face sanctions under the Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES). Much of the ivory smuggled into Thailand from other countries is turned into ornaments that are shipped to China and Vietnam to meet burgeoning demand. In January, Thailand passed new legislation to regulate and control the possession and trade of ivory. Under the law, possession of African ivory for sale in Thailand is prohibited. In April, Thai customs officials seized four tonnes of ivory worth $6 million in what the department called the largest bust of its kind in Thailand's history. Over 20,000 African elephants were killed for ivory in 2013, a CITES monitoring program showed, leaving a population believed to be around 500,00.
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