Background
1. The Hong Kong Government have recently reviewed their policy on
trading in ivory through Hong Kong in the light of international
concern about the fate of the African elephant. They have agreed to support the proposed ban on trade in new ivory which the UK and others will be pressing for at the CITES meeting in October 1989.
In the meantime they have also suspended the issue of licences for
imports of raw ivory from all sources pending the outcome of that
meeting.
2.
Because Hong Kong has considerable stocks of legally imported
ivory they intend to pursue through CITES the proper disposal of
their existing stocks before the CITES ban comes into effect.