WWF World Wide Fund
For Nature
Our Ref
SL/aw
Date: 16 July 1990
270-
2070
ESED
TOP Copy of letter
WWF United Kingdom
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SAK 17/1
Rt. Hon. Douglas R. Hurd, CBE, MP,
Secretary of State,
Foreign and Commonwealth Office, House of Commons,
LONDON, SW1A OAA.
Dear Mr. Hurd,
On 17 July the six month ivory reservation for Hong Kong comes to an end. A letter to our Hong Kong office from the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries in Hong Kong, copy attached, indicates that the Hong Kong
Kong Government plans to continue to allow exports, without a permit, of pieces of ivory weighing less than 5 kilos as personal effects. This would be in violation of the rules of the CITES Convention. Since the UK is the Contracting Party CITES on behalf of Hong Kong, the UK has a responsibility to ensure that Hong Kong complies fully with the Convention.
We
to
are, naturally, greatly concerned by what is likely to happen to the 469 tonnes of ivory apparently still in Hong Kong according to official statistics. The recent seizures by Japanese customs officers of ivory from Hong Kong confirms our fears that controls on ivory shipments from Hong Kong are inadequate and that there are insufficient staff to make the ivory registration system in Hong Kong fully effective. Continued illegal trade is clearly a very high risk, and we would, therefore, urge you to persuade Hong Kong to take the following measures :
1.
Withdraw its proposal to allow exports without a permit of pieces of ivory weighing less than 5 kilos as personal
effects.
ris
taco...
no gards
Poophots san 02001
continued over
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