January 20, 2004

Cambodia Seizes 159,000 smuggled eggs from Vietnam

Authorities in Cambodia have seized 159,000 eggs smuggled from neighboring Vietnam to stop the spread of bird flu, which has devastated poultry farms throughout Asia, officials said Monday.

Customs officials in Takeo province seized the duck and chicken eggs Sunday from a truck being driven to the capital, Phnom Penh, said provincial deputy governor Uy Khemara.

"The confiscation was due to concerns about the possible spread of the bird flu," said En Sam Ol, a customs official. "Permission is being sought from the court to destroy the eggs."

There have been no suspected cases of the bird flu in Cambodia, but authorities have taken steps to prevent its spread after the disease broke out in Vietnam and other countries in Asia.

Last Monday, Agriculture Minister Chan Sarun ordered a temporary ban on the import, transport, selling and buying of birds, eggs and fresh and refrigerated bird meat from countries that have been struck by avian flu.

Five people in Vietnam have died after contracting the disease.

Some 2 million chickens have died or have been slaughtered in Vietnam because of the disease. The virus also has infected chickens in South Korea, Japan and Taiwan,

Takeo is 65 kilometers south of Phnom Penh and borders southern Vietnam.