SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 3,
1989
FILM CLIPS TO PRESENT HK'S CASE ON IVORY
KONG'S A BETTER
TWO FILM CLIPS ON HONG THE GOVERNMENT HAS PRODUCED IVORY CONTROL FOR OVERSEAS RELEASE WITH A VIEW TO ENHANCING OVERSEAS UNDERSTANDING OF THE LOCAL SITUATION ON TVORY.
HALF MINUTES AND FOUR MINUTES THE FILM CLIPS, OF ONE AND A
INFORMATION SERVICES, DURATION, HAVE BEEN PREPARED BY THE GOVERNMENT IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES DEPARTMENT, AS OF ITS EFFORTS TO PROMOTE HONG KONG'S IMAGE OVERSEAS.
PART
ASSISTANT LAU, SAID TODAY
KONG'S
FULL
FISHERIES DEPARTMENT'S ACTING THE AGRICULTURE AND DIRECTOR (CONSERVATION AND COUNTRY PARKS), MR FRANK
FILMS
WAS CONVEYED
HONG (SUNDAY) THE KEY MESSAGE THE
ON INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN ENDANGERED COMMITMENT TO THE CONVENTION
ITS ALREADY SPECIES OF WILD FAUNA AND FLORA (
(CITES) BY STRENGTHENING STRICT CONTROLS ON IVORY.
FEW SUCH ACTION FOLLOWED GROWING CONCERN WORLDWIDE IN THE LAST
POPULATION IN THE MONTHS OVER THE DECLINING AFRICAN PRODUCING COUNTRIES.
ELEPHANT
INCLUDING THE
EUROPEAN
COMMUNITY
THAT CONCERN RESULTED IN A NUMBER OF COUNTRIES,
THE
KINGDOM AND UNITED JAPAN, UNITED STATES, COUNTRIES, IMPOSING A BAN ON IVORY IMPORTS.
ADVERSELY
MR LAU SAID THE BAN HAD TRADE AS THESE COUNTRIES REPRESENTED HONG KONG'S MARKETS.
OF
PREVIOUSLY
AFFECTED THE LOCAL IVORY MAJOR IVORY EXPORT
EXISTING STOCKS LEGALLY FROM
"THIS INDISCRIMINATE BAN HAS UNFAIRLY COVERED
IMPORTED RAW AND WORKED IVORY CITES-APPROVED SOURCES, HE SAID.
IN
OF RAW
THE CURRENT ESTIMATED STOCK OF IVORY IMPORTED INTO AND HELD HONG KONG UNDER CITES REGULATIONS IS APPROXIMATELY 500 TONNES IVORY AND 170 TONNES OF WORKED IVORY.
"MOREOVER, IT HAS IMPOSED A LIVELIHOOD HARDSHIP ON
IVORY WORKERS ENGAGED LOCAL IVORY CARVERS AND 1,800 OTHER
SOME 2,000 YEARS, MR LAU TRADITIONAL HANDICRAFT WHICH DATES BACK
IN
SOME 1,200 THE
11
SAID.
OTHER
SUPPORT
"MANY OF THE WORKERS ARE OVER 40 YEARS MEANS TO
THEIR FAMILIES
THEIR
OF AGE, AND HAVE NO BUT BY
LIFE-LONG
DEVELOPED SKILLS,
"THIS IS INDEED A SAD EPILOGUE IN A PASSING OF FINE CRAFTSMANSHIP."
WORLD
WHICH
BEMOANS
THE
MR LAU SAID THAT SINCE EXISTING LEGAL STOCKS
KONG HONG POPULATION, ELEPHANT TO THE PRESENT CONTINUING TRADE IN EXISTING IVORY STOCKS.
POSED
NO THREAT
WAS IN FAVOUR
OF
/"AT THE .................