Selling "Teeth" Is Guilty?
Since 1990, a law has been imposed: ivory received after 1976 cannot be imported into or exported from Hong Kong anymore; those that have been imported require a licence from the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) to be sold in Hong Kong. | Li Chun Man (李俊文) is an ivory merchant who complies with the law. He stores his ivories and remaining scrap materials at home and in the shop within the allowed amount as listed on the licence . There were 650 tons of ivories in Hong Kong at the time of the first ban of international trades of ivory in 1990. 27 years later, there are still 77 tons of them in Hong Kong. Wild animal rights groups suspect that many ivories are still imported through smuggling. Many ivory merchants have been mixing new and old products and sell them together. | Ng Mei Fung (伍美鳳), a member of "WildAid", points out that there is a loophole in the licence. She also cites videorecorded evidence of illegal trading. Li was taken to court and was sentenced for holding and selling illegal ivories. He was fined for $6,000. | Chung Wai Yum (鍾惠欽), an ivory engraver, purchased a house in the 1980s and used it as a workshop and warehouse. He talks about the operation of his workshop. The Hong Kong government has launched a "three-step plan” to ban ivory trade, aiming to phase it out completely before the end of 2021. If the trade is banned completely, some people may lose all their savings. Throughout the interview, Chung was very sad. | Chan Chun Po (陳春寶), the consultant of Hong Kong and Kowloon Ivory Manufacturers Association, states that it is unnecessary to mix the new and the old products and sell them together, because…
九零年開始，法例規定：七六年之後取得的象牙，不能再進出口本港；已入口的要向漁護署申請管有許可證，才可以在本地買賣。象牙商李俊文依從法例規定，在家中和店鋪存放低於管有許可證所列數量的象牙工藝品與剩下的碎料。九零年第一次禁貿時，香港存有六百五十五噸象牙。二十七年後，香港仍有七十七噸。關注野生動物團體質疑，有很多象牙走私入口，象牙商一直把新貨與舊貨混合出售。野生救援成員伍美鳳指出，許可證有漏洞，她並舉出非法貿易的錄像證據。李俊文惹上官非，法官裁定他持有及銷售非法象牙，罰款六千元。象牙雕刻工人鍾惠欽在八十年代購買房子，以此作為工場和貨倉之用。他講述該行運作的情況。政府推出「象牙禁售三步曲」，目標是２０２１年年底前，完全淘汰本地象牙貿易。全面禁止貿易，一生積蓄可能化為烏有。言談之間，鍾惠欽不禁悲從中來。香港象牙商會顧問陳春寶認為，新貨和舊貨混在一起銷售，沒有這個必要，因為……
