MCMC to assist in combating illegal business that is harming endangered animals

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has joined in the fight against illegal online wildlife trade.

It has voiced its commitment to help the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) and the police to investigate Amsyar Kejora, a wildlife trader who operated on numerous social media platforms.

“The MCMC will assist Perhilitan by providing technical assistance such as website blocking, and engaging with the platform providers as a way of controlling spread of misinformation, ” the commission said in an interview yesterday.

According to sources, Amsyar, one of the biggest wildlife traders in Peninsular Malaysia, has gone into hiding.

He has been openly selling endangered wildlife including sun bears, dusky leaf monkeys, leopard cats, slow loris, black panther and others since 2015 but the pressure mounted on him only recently after he claimed to have a letter from “the palace”.

These endangered wildlife are protected species under the Wildlife Conservation Act, making it illegal to sell or keep them without a special permit.

On March 11, Amsyar challenged Perhilitan and activists to investigate him.

“Come on, investigate who I am first.

“I have a surat istana (palace letter), ” he said in a now-deleted Facebook account.

Last month, activists exposed this claim and urged the public to lodge police reports against him.

More than 20 reports have been lodged to date.

Amsyar is also known to operate under the names Kejora Pets, Kejora Amsyar, Kayangan Pets, Kejora Surian and Kuching Exotic Pets.

Perhilitan director-general Datuk Abdul Kadir Abu Hashim said they were following his movements online.