PUESDAY, APRIL 15, 1986
THE ANIMALS, BIRDS AND FISH INVOLVED IN THESE CASES INCLUDED TWO MONKEYS, A LEOPARD CAT, FOUR KESTRELS AND AN OTTER AND 78 ASTATIC BONEY TONGUE FISH. THEY WERE FORFEITED.
THE SPOKES AN SAID THAT DESPITE REPEATED APPEALS, SOME PEOPLE STILL VIOLATED THE ANIMALS AND PLANTS (PROTECTION OF ENDANGERED SPECIES) ORDINANCE BY IMPORTING INTO HONG KONG ENDANGERED ANIMALS WITHOUT PRIOR AUTHORISATION FROM THE DEPARTMENT.
+1N 1985, 314 PROSECUTIONS WERE TAKEN OUT AGAINST OFFENDERS, RESULTING IN FINES AMOUNTING TO $149 000.
+SO FAR THIS YEAR, 58 PEOPLE HAVE BEEN PROSECUTED FOR VIOLATIONS OF THE LAW AND FINED A TOTAL OF $20 500,+ HE SAID.
MOST CASES ARE CONNECTED WITH THE ILLEGAL IMPORTATION OF ENDANGERED SPECIES OF ANIMALS INCLUDING OWLS, KESTRELS, BUZZARDS, MONKEYS, PANGOLINS AND STUFFED SPECIMENS OF SEA TURTLES AND CROCODILES.
THE SPOKESMAN ADVISED RESIDENTS MAKING TRIPS ABROAD NOT TO BRING BACK ANY ENDANGERED SPECIES OF ANIMALS, BIRDS OR PLANTS ON THEIR RETURN.
+FAILURE TO DO SO MAY LEAD TO A MAXIMUM FINE OF $5 000 FOR THE FIRST OFFENCE AND $10 000 AND SIX MONTHS' IMPRISONMENT FOR A REPEAT OFFENCE,+ HE WARNED.
1985 AIRBORNE MERCHANDISE TRADE STATISTICS RELEASED
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TOTAL MERCHANDISE TRADE BY AIR IN 1985, VALUED AT $97 228 MILLION, DECREASED BY 7 PER CENT AS COMPARED WITH 1984, ACCORDING TO SUMMARY STATISTICS ON AIRBORNE MERCHANDISE TRADE RELEASED TODAY (TUESDAY) BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.
IN 1985, 26 PER CENT OF DOMESTIC EXPORTS, 20 PER CENT OF IMPORTS AND 17 PER CENT OF RE-EXPORTS, ALL BY VALUE, WERE CARRIED BY AIR. IN TERMS OF WEIGHT, AIRBORNE IMPORTS AMOUNTED TO 182 841 TONNES OR 0.5 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL IMPORT TONNAGE, WHILE TOTAL AIRBORNE EXPORTS TOTALLED 236 977 TONNES OR 1.3 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL EXPORT TONNAGE.
AIRBORNE DOMESTIC EXPORTS TO MAJOR MARKETS ARE GIVEN IN TABLE 1.
/ANALYSED BY