BANGKOK (DPA) — Thai Airways has banned the transportation of shark fin on its planes after an online campaign against the company.
"We have implemented an official policy to not ship any shark fin products," Phoonsak Chumchuay, the managing director of Thai Airways' cargo division, told dpa Wednesday.
"Thai Airways places great importance in protecting endangered species and the environment," he said.
In a press release posted on the Thai Airways Facebook site late Tuesday, the company said it had a policy in place since July 15 to ban all shark fin products, and had avoided shipping shark fin for over a year beforehand.
Shark fin is considered a delicacy in many parts of Asia but results in the slaughter of millions of top-tier predators each year just for the fins.
The online campaign started with a petition by Ob Saiyavath, a high school student, and turned viral when it was championed by the Oceanic Preservation Society and the Freeland Foundation.
"I do not claim the victory for myself, this is about the conservation of sharks not about me," said Ob, 17.
"Our petition received over 1000 signatures in just 3 days … This shows how strong the anti-shark fin community is," he said.
The Oceanic Preservation Society called for a multi-continent protest at Thai Airways counters around the world on August 10.
