He himself chickened out from attending SWCC and debating the idea.

However, the colloquium was well attended by nearly 300 NGOs, conservationists, policy makers and industry, debated this motion, nevertheless.

The colloquium noted a serious disconnect with his “No Kill Policy” request,  since existing Malaysian laws, already recognize orang utan as a totally protected species and  the Sabah Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997, prescribes a RM100,000 fine and jail term of up to 5 years.
 
Malaysia’s International Trade in Endangered Species Act 2008, makes it illegal to trade species listed under CITES.

The Colloquium therefore concluded that, “Zero killing cannot be achieved  but what should be strived for is Zero Tolerance to Wildlife Killing.

If companies would make it clear that employees could be fired for killing (endangered species),
this could be a highly effective tool to reduce wildlife losses”.

We note, relevant Malaysian laws already adequately address this motion. We acknowledge that enforcement efforts may need to be beefed up. We support prosecution of any offenders and their conviction, when found guilty.

The Malaysian palm oil industry fully prescribes and supports such actions, always supported by evidence upheld in our courts of law.

We go so far as to offer Sean Whyte and others a financial reward for reporting each such case to the Malaysian authorities that will result in conviction of the offenders.

Finally, MPOC notes that NGOS make so many demands on the industry and even when the industry makes genuine and significant contributions to conservation efforts, these actions are seldom appreciated.

This retards change within the industry and retards conservation efforts. We urge greater cooperation from all parties concerned.

Tan Sri Datuk Dr. Yusof Basiron
Chief Executive Officer
Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC)