Yangon, Nay Pyi Taw International Airports and Asia World Port Terminal Support Voices for Momos

Asia World Company subsidiaries ramp up public education on illegal wildlife trade

Myanmar’s wild elephants have found another champion as Yangon International Airport (YIA), Nay Pyi Taw International Airport (NPTIA) and Asia World Port Terminal (AWPT) declare their support for VOICES FOR MOMOS. 

Asia World Company Ltd (AWC) is proud to participate in this wildlife education initiative for Myanmar as part of its corporate social responsibility. Through its transport subsidiaries operating key gateways into the country, AWC is ramping up illegal wildlife trade awareness leading up to World Wildlife Day on 3^rd March

Mr Jose Angeja, Chief Operating Officer, Yangon International Airport said: “Our partnership with VOICES FOR MOMOS is in line with YIA’s commitment to operational excellence as a high-performance airport and to environment and wildlife conservation. With almost 6 million passengers passing through Yangon International Airport in 2017 and as part of the global transportation and logistics industry, we aim to play an active role in educating travelers, promoting responsible tourism, defending national biodiversity and making a future illegal wildlife trade-free Myanmar.”

In November 2017, WWF-Myanmar conducted an illegal wildlife product identification training at YIA. The trainings were designed to train the YIA retail management team on identifying ivory and other illegal wildlife trade products so they can monitor the shops within the terminals.

As part of the public education program, YIA will be featuring Arker Kyaw’s We Love Elephants public art exhibition starting March, to coincide with World Wildlife Day. Six supersized paper mache elephants will be displayed at international Terminals 1 and 2; and domestic Terminal 3.

Working with WWF-Myanmar and other stakeholders, Asia World will post public service information on illegal wildlife trading throughout both airports and the port terminal. Asia World is also committed to work with all relevant government departments to implement illegal wildlife trade detection and enforcement measure at its facilities. 

“Asia World’s support is critical because it combines public education with action. Myanmar needs trained people and the right tracking technologies at its gateways and borders if it is to tackle the illegal wildlife trade.  This is the first step to bring together all stakeholders needed to achieve a zero-tolerance approach and an illegal wildlife trade-free Myanmar,” said Dr. Nyi Nyi Kyaw, Director General of Forest Department, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation (MONREC) and CITES Management Authority of Myanmar.

Every week, at least one elephant is hunted in Myanmar. Elephant skin, tail hairs, teeth and ivory are sold at tourist spots around the country and in markets in Yangon and Mandalay. There is also large trading along the border regions of China, Myanmar, Laos and Thailand – an area known as the ‘Golden Triangle’. Elephant skin is sold dried for traditional ‘medicine’ or polished into beads and sold as lucky charm bracelets. The tail hairs are put into silver rings and worn for luck.

Having Myanmar’s key transport infrastructures onboard this programme is a step towards greater enforcement and awareness. The largest and busiest airport in country, YIA is the primary gateway into Myanmar which handled 5.92 million passengers in 2017. Foreign visitors accounted for 66 percent of total arrivals and overall passenger traffic increased by 8.48 percent. NPTIA is also one of Myanmar’s three international airports which has welcomed visitors, VIPs, and business dignitaries from all over the world – handling a total of 224,478 passengers in 2017.

Asia World Port Terminal, the 1^st private port terminal set up in 1996, is one of the leading players in professional port services, currently handling one of the highest volumes of container throughput in Myanmar.

Together with WWF-Myanmar, AWC hopes to make a difference for the future.

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About Asia World Company Ltd

Established in 1992, Myanmar-based Asia World Company Ltd ("AWC") is a diversified group with its core business in the infrastructure sector. Over the last two and a half decades, the Group has built up an established track record in operational excellence and in undertaking and completing numerous iconic and critical infrastructure development projects throughout Myanmar.

These include roads and highways, airports, ports, power plants and telecommunication towers. Many of AWC's projects have pioneered the standards of safety and advancement of the infrastructure sector in Myanmar and made lasting contributions to the country and its people. Visit www.asiaworldcompany.com for more information.

About VOICES FOR MOMOS

VOICES FOR MOMOS is a campaign launched in response to the Myanmar elephant poaching and skinning crisis with the aim ending the sale of elephant and other illegal wildlife parts in Myanmar. More information about campaign and how to join can be found at www.voicesformomos.org.

For more information, please contact:

Ye Min Thwin, Senior Communications Officer, WWF-Myanmar

thwin.yemin@wwf.panda.org | + 95 9 795 824 038

Ko Ko Gyi, Rice Communications l + 95 997 009 4819

voicesformomos@ricecomms.com