The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) has launched a campaign calling all ivory traders to register with the government.
An official checks ivory stocks at Chatuchak Market. The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation wants to register all ivory traders. Apichit Jinakul
The campaign, which is part of a national plan of action to curtail illegal ivory sales and oust rogue traders, was unveiled at Chatuchak Market in Bangkok on Saturday.
Deputy DNP chief Thanya Nethithamakul said the move seeks to provide ivory shops with correct information on how to comply with proposed laws on the domesticated ivory trade.
Strict regulations, including a legal requirement for traders to register, have been drafted and should become law next year. The department is asking traders to register voluntarily first.
The legislation is intended to stop the African ivory trade in the country.
Mr Thanya said the campaign will travel around several provinces, including Nakhon Sawan, Ubon Ratchathani and Surin.
The department was forced to write an action plan on curbing the African ivory trade after the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Cites) criticised Thailand's efforts to deal with the issue.
The Cites committee will in March consider whether to implement a ban on the flora and fauna trade in Thailand, unless the country takes action to deal with the problem.
Cites secretary-general John E Scanlon visited the kingdom earlier this month and expressed appreciation for the action plan.
He said Cites hopes to see a positive outcome that will help the country escape trade sanctions.
"We have been trying our best to deal with the problem. We have received cooperation from state agencies in the sector to build a task force.
"We hope ivory shops will cooperate too. We are not banning the domesticated ivory trade, but we want them to follow the law," Mr Thanya said.
Under the proposed laws, ivory traders will have to register to obtain a licence for selling domesticated ivory.
They will also have to declare their stocks. Traders are banned from selling ivory from wild and African elephants, but not domesticated elephants.
Chinarong Chochai, deputy chief of the Department of Business Development, said there are 328 ivory shops nationwide, 105 of which are located in Bangkok.
The Royal Thai Police and Bangkok Metropolitan Administration also joined the campaign at Chatuchak Market.
The owner of a store at the market, Mammoth Arts and Crafts, said she is ready to work with the authorities, but called for more systematic work on the issue. Various agencies have regulations that can result in confusion.
Another shop owner, who declined to be named, said he would stop selling ivory items due to the complicated regulations. He said he had bought his ivory from a big ivory trader, so it could have come from Africa.
He also predicted the domesticated ivory trade will die out eventually, since local supply is limited and insufficient to support shops.
State agencies will meet again on Jan 6 to discuss new ways to stamp out the illegal ivory trade.