PR: Voices for Momos campaign led by WWF-Myanmar launches petition to end illegal wildlife trade in Myanmar

YANGON, 16 January 2018 – VOICES FOR MOMOS are launching a petition which aims to garner 100,000 signatures of support for the campaign and encouraging the public not to sell, buy or use elephant. The petition also includes an open letter to State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi towards the effective enforcement of the Myanmar Elephant Conservation Action Plan. You can find the petition online here: http://bit.ly/vfmomos

YANGON, 16 January 2018 – VOICES FOR MOMOS are launching a petition which aims to garner 100,000 signatures of support for the campaign and encouraging the public not to sell, buy or use elephant.  The petition also includes an open letter to State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi towards the effective enforcement of the Myanmar Elephant Conservation Action Plan.

VOICES FOR MOMOS’ corporate partner Shwe Taung Group has declared it would be the first corporate signatory of the petition, delivering the support and solidarity of its 7,000-strong team to protect elephants.  “Together, let us keep our momos safe.  We are signing the petition and encourage the public to do the same,” Daw Sandar Htun added.

Every week, at least one elephant is hunted in Myanmar. Elephant skin, tail hairs, teeth and ivory are sold at Golden Rock (Kyaiktiyo Pagoda in Bago Region), ivory is sold in Yangon and Mandalay. There are also large markets 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.

Nick Cox, WWF-Myanmar Conservation Director said, “It is imperative that Myanmar ends the illegal and open trade in products from elephants and other wildlife. China’s closing of its domestic ivory market is a great step forward but if we don’t end the sales nationally the trade will simply come across the border. We must make it clear to all tourists that Myanmar is not an illegal wildlife trade destination and end these sales once and for all.”

Beginning today, Myanmar artist Arker Kyaw’s We Love Elephants public art exhibition will be at Junction City, after three weeks of being on display at the Junction Square grounds. The elephants will be open to public viewing at the ground floor foyer of the mall until the end of January and will be complemented by the screening of VOICES FOR MOMOS public service announcements (PSA) and elephant facts on a number of digital screens inside and outside the mall premises.

JGCV Cinema Company Starium Theatre at Junction City, which boasts the biggest screen in Myanmar, will also premiere the VOICES FOR MOMOS petition video. The video will then be screened four times daily for 30 days at JGCV’s 19 cinemas in seven locations throughout Myanmar: JCGV City Mall (St. John), JCGV Square, JCGV Maw Tin and JCGV Junction City in Yangon; JCGV Mingalar in Mandalay; JCGV Mawlamyine and JCGV Nay Pyi Taw.

The first video features artist Arker Kyaw but more celebrities are expected to take part in rallying public support in the coming weeks. Click here to watch this video.

The public can sign the petition at VOICES FOR MOMOS kiosks at Junction City or online via http://bit.ly/vfmomos or www.en.voicesformomos.org/petition

Located at the junction of Bogyoke Aung San Road and Shwedagon Pagoda Road, Junction City is the latest world-class development of Shwe Taung Group. The integrated development consists of a lifestyle retail and entertainment mall Junction City Shopping Centre, premium Grade A office spaces Junction City Tower, and the international luxury five-star hotel Pan Pacific Yangon. The JGCV Cinema Company’s Starium Theatre has the biggest screen and the most number of screens within a movie theatre in Myanmar.

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About Shwe Taung Group

Founded in the 1990s, the Shwe Taung Group’s diversified business units spread across a wide range of industries, including real estate, infrastructure, construction, building materials and distribution. The Group currently has a workforce of more than 7,000 employees, creating employment opportunities for people across the country. The Group has an established track record of delivering quality real estate projects in Myanmar. It has developed more than 50 projects over 800 acres of land, including notable projects such as the Crystal Tower, Crystal Residences, Junction Square, Union Business Centre, Union Financial Centre, and Junction City in Yangon. The Group adheres strongly to the belief in contributing to society and the environment through its wide-ranging corporate social responsibility programmes in Myanmar, and has been a member of the United Nations Global Compact since 2013. 

About VOICES FOR MOMOS

VOICES FOR MOMOS is a campaign launched in response to the Myanmar elephant poaching and skinning crisis with the aim of encouraging individuals and organisations across all sectors to use their voice to call for the end of illegal wildlife sales in Myanmar. More information about campaign and how to join can be found at www.voicesformomos.org.