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Background
D 4. In my minute of 21 February I reported that Dr Richard Leakey of
the Kenyan Wildlife Department had claimed that the six-month
exemption had led directly to an increase in poaching in Africa.
Reports from our posts in Nairobi and Dar Es Salaam, and comments
from Hong Kong, indicate that this is a somewhat simplistic view and
that there are a number of other reasons why poaching may have
increased. Nevertheless, Dr Leakey is influential and
well-respected. His allegations (which match those made by
conservation NGOs in the UK at the time we entered the Reservation)
may well cause us problems.
F
5.
ivory
We and Hong Kong are reasonably confident that illegal
will not be able to enter Hong Kong undetected or be exported. Since 12 January all stocks of ivory exceeding 5kg have been
licenced, movements of ivory from dealer to dealer within Hong Kong
have been recorded, as have exports from the Territory. Consequently any imports should be detected easily. Stocks of ivory are subject to spot check and those without a licence are liable to
prosecution. This makes concealing illegal stocks much more
difficult. A recent seizure of a small quantity (47.5kg) of worked ivory imported illegally from Thailand, Taiwan and China shows that the controls are having an impact.
6. We cannot entirely rule out the possibility that poachers in
East Africa have misunderstood the situation and are trying to
dispose of illegal ivory through Hong Kong. But Sir Geoffrey Howe challenged Dr Leakey's accusations in the House on 22 February, offering an investigation of any evidence of Hong Kong complicity in illegal importing of ivory from East Africa. No evidence has so far been produced.
Argument
G 7
There are two sentences in the standard reply which refer to the alleged connection between the Reservation and poaching. The first is the sentence at the end of paragraph 2 which reads 'Enforcement
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