Ivory traders condemn the Hong Kong Government for killing their business. Demand withdrawal of banning licensees’ buying and selling rights.

This article was translated by Alex Hofford from the Oriental Daily in Hong Kong; Alex is a wildlife campaigner for Wild Aid in Hong Kong.

 

See link for photo. Banners read:  “Investigate the dereliction of duty (AFCD), punish the corrupted officials”  & “Give us back the right to sell or compensation”

Twenty representatives of the Hong Kong Legal Ivory Traders Association and Hong Kong and Kowloon Ivory Manufacturers Association staged a protest at AFCD’s Cheung Sha Wan office today, and condemned the government for killing the legal ivory industry and demanded a withdrawal of the banning of the licensees’ buying and selling rights. The groups were angry because an AFCD representative received their petition letter thirty minutes late.

So Chi-Keung, Chairman of the HKIMA criticized the government’s double standard for allowing the import of pre-Convention ivory while following the 1990 ban. He also demanded the government to provide the details on the imported pre-Convention ivory, including the raw materials, product weight from 1990 to date.

He criticized AFCD’s inadequate new policy that has made it impossible for legal traders to sell their existing seventy tonnes of ivory stock (from the 700 tonnes registered in 1989). He pointed out that, only in 2006, was the industry made aware of the fact that they can purchase pre-Convention ivory.

So demanded AFCD explain the exact procedure for importing pre-Convention ivory and whether they examine or test imported European ivory to verify it is not recently poached African elephants.

According to AFCD, Hong Kong has the responsibility to comply with the world’s efforts and approach in protecting elephants and that it will arrange to meet with both groups in order to discuss the issue.

http://hk.on.cc/hk/bkn/cnt/news/20170110/bkn-20170110160322582-0110_00822_001.html