BLOOMBERG (New York, New York) 01 November 10 Madagascar Government Awards Contract to Curb Smuggling of Tortoises, Gold {Excerpts} (Hannah McNeish)
Security at Madagascar’s eight international airports will be managed by a private company for the first time, as the country seeks to curb smuggling of goods ranging from tortoises to gold and precious stones.
SRDI SA, based in Luxembourg, was awarded a 15-year contract, Transport Minister Rolland Ranjatoelina said in an interview on Oct. 28 in Antananarivo, the capital. The company will start helping manage security later this month, he said.
“There are so many of our country’s resources leaving illegally,” Ranjatoelina said. “Between 10 to 15 percent of our GDP” is smuggled out of the Indian Ocean island nation annually, he said.
Several calls to SRDI’s head office in Luxembourg and an e- mailed request for comment to SRDI Chairman Jean-Marc Demoulin weren’t answered.
Madagascar, with a $9 billion economy, is the world’s largest vanilla grower and one of the biggest producers of sapphires. The country also produces amethysts, emeralds, rubies and ornamental stones such as agate and quartz, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Last month, 411 rare tortoises were returned to Madagascar after being seized at Kuala Lumpur airport in Malaysia. The animals, which included radiated, spider and angulated tortoises, were destined for China, where they sell for thousands of dollars as exotic pets, according to the International Fund for Animal Welfare.
..
“At Ivato airport you can exit with large amounts of cash, tortoises, anything you want,” Clarisse said. “There is no control there.”
Madagascar Government Awards Contract to Curb Smuggling of Tortoises, Gold

[ Show Entire Thread ]