Thailand on alert against African swine fever

BANGKOK, March 7 (TNA) - The Thai government, through the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, has been on alert to prevent any outbreak of the African swine fever in the country. Sorawit Thaneto, Director-General of the ministry's Department of Livestock Development, dispatched on March 6, at a ceremony held in Bangkok, an over 100-member special operational unit to work together with officials at animal confinement checkpoints along the border of five northeastern Thai provinces, including Loei, Nakhon Panom, Mukdahan, Nong Khai and Ubon Ratchathani. Sorawit told journalists that Wednesday's move was in response to grounded reports on current outbreaks of the African swine fever among livestocks in Vietnam. Besides, he has been reported from informed sources that Thai border officials in Nakhon Panom successfully intercepted the smuggling of processed pork products from Vietnam through neighboring Lao PDR recently. According to the top veterinarian, he has, thus, assigned the special operational officials to closely work together with officials at animal confinement checkpoints along the border of the five northeastern Thai provinces to seriously prevent and crack down smuggled livestock products, including live pigs and other cattle, as well as their processed items and even carcasses. Apart from the strict operations at all land and cross-river checkpoints, the top veterinarian stated that he has also assigned such the strict operations at markets in the five northeastern Thai border provinces. (TNA)