On February 20, 2019, Guangxi Forestry department held a press conference to inform the media about the rescue work of Pangolin in Guangxi, and announced publicly that the official website of the Guangxi Forestry department and its WeChat Subscription will publicize the specific information on the rescue and artificial breeding work of Pangolin in Guangxi since 2012.

On hearing the news, the China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGDF) supported this action. In order to know the above information since 2012, CBCGDF has had a lot of trouble. As early as August 22, 2017, the CBCGDF sent an application for information disclosure to Guangxi Forestry, hoping to get the above information for each year since 2012. However, the Guangxi Forestry department refused to disclose the information on the grounds that there was no annual data. On September 14, 2017, according to the requirements of the Guangxi Forestry department, the CBCGDF re-applied for the information since 2012. Upon receipt of the CBCGDF's new application for information disclosure, Guangxi Forestry department could not find a reason to refuse to disclose, so it chose not to do anything and did not give any reply.

On February 26, 2018, the CBCGDF filed an administrative lawsuit with the People's Court of Xixiangtang District, Nanning City, Guangxi on the refusal of the Guangxi Forestry Department to perform its statutory duty of information disclosure. On September 29, 2018, the CBCGDF received an administrative ruling from the People's Court of Xixiangtang District, Nanning City, which ruled that the CBCGDF's administrative lawsuit concerning pangolin did not meet the conditions for prosecution and therefore did not conduct a trial, but rejected the administrative lawsuit of the CBCGDF from a procedural point of view.

CBCGDF refused to accept the ruling and appealed to the Nanning Intermediate People's Court. In mid-January 2019, the CBCGDF received an appeal from the Nanning Intermediate People's Court on the case that the Guangxi Forestry Department did not reply to the administrative lawsuit in which the rescue information of pangolin was disclosed in batches for the past five years. The appeal was made as follows: 1. The administrative ruling No. 138 of the People's Court of Xixiangtang District of Nanning City (2018) was revoked; 2. The People's Court of Xixiangtang District of Nanning continue to deal with the case.

Due to the authority of the judiciary and public pressure, the Guangxi Forestry department finally announced that it would take the initiative to disclose the information, which the CBCGDF welcomed. At the same time, the CBCGDF sincerely hopes that Guangxi forestry department will further embark on the correct legal road in information disclosure, especially the inside story of 34 pangolins' lethal virus names and testing institutions that the CBCGDF applied for publication.

Around the causes of death of 34 pangolins captured by Guangxi coastguard on August 17, 2017, and handed over to Guangxi Forestry Department, the CBCGDF sent many applications for information disclosure to Guangxi Forestry department from August 22, 2017, to April 12, 2018. However, individual personnel of the Protection Department and Rescue Center constantly spread false information such as testing institutions and virus names to deceive the leaders of Guangxi Forestry Department. In virus detection, the staff of the Guangxi Forestry Protection Department and rescue Center has changed several times. Even when the National Forestry and Grassland Administration canceled the information of Guangxi Forestry department and ordered the Guangxi Forestry department to reply again according to law, the Guangxi Forestry department continued to fabricate lies and provide false information. Especially after the CBCGDF applied for administrative reconsideration to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration again, when Guangxi Forestry department submitted its comprehensive response to the National Forestry and Grassland department, individual personnel of the Guangxi Forestry Protection Department and the Rescue Center continued to fabricate lies, deceive the leaders of Guangxi Forestry Department and the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, and fabricate a testing institution and virus name without delivering the 34 pangolins to virus detection at all. Especially, the rescue center dared to fabricate a false document "Instructions on Sample Detection of Pangolin on August 17, 2017, which was also signed by the staff of the rescue center, Que Tengcheng, and Wu Yuanqiong.

Guangxi Forestry department deceives the National Forestry and Grass Administration and the public by providing false information, the CBCGDF has brought a lawsuit to the court. As an environmental protection public welfare organization, CBCGDF has confidence and ability to trace the truth. It is also hoped that the Guangxi Forestry Department will take the right legal road in information disclosure. Individuals of Guangxi Forestry Protection Department and Rescue Center should not underestimate the intelligence quotient of the public, constantly fabricate lies, and then have to fabricate more lies to make up lies.

The CBCGDF sincerely hopes that the leaders of Guangxi Forestry Department will take further decisive measures in information disclosure, stop wasting litigation resources, and sincerely apologize to the public, so as to rebuild the glorious image of Guangxi Forestry department in the work of protecting forest and wildlife resources.

(Photo credit: CBCGDF)

Original Chinese article:

http://www.cbcgdf.org/NewsShow/4854/8951.html

By / Li Xue