Sri Lanka's government on Tuesday destroyed its biggest illegal ivory haul in the first public crushing of poached tusks in South Asia, intended to send a stark message to smugglers.

The international trade in ivory has been banned inmost of the world since 1989, but illegal smuggling persists in many parts of Asia where ivory is highly prized for medicinal and decorative uses.

Sri Lanka said it was sending a strong message by destroying the haul, more than 350 tusks weighing about 1.5 tons that were displayed at the Galle Face promenade in the capital before being fed into a crusher to be sent to an industrial furnace.