‘Laos failing to curb illegal wildlife trade’

BANGKOK: The illegal trade in pangolins, helmeted hornbills and other wildlife products is thriving in Laos, a monitoring group said late Friday, urging the Southeast Asian nation to crack down on a lucrative commerce largely fuelled by demand in neighboring China.

The authoritarian country has long been top transit hub for the smuggling of wildlife products, with widespread corruption and weak law enforcement allowing the criminal activity to flourish.