Patriote
JF-Expert Member
- Jul 13, 2011
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Hong Kong customs seize over a tonne of smuggled ivory
HONG KONG - Hong Kong customs officers have seized more than a tonne of unprocessed elephant tusks worth around $1.37 million on the Chinese ivory market, officials said on Friday.
Forty five bags carrying 569 pieces of unpolished tusks weighing about 1,330 kilogrammes (2,932 pounds) were seized on Thursday in a container from Tanzania, officials said.
"These ivory tusks were concealed with other normal goods. There were 400 bags of sunflower seeds used as concealment," Group Head of Ports and Maritime Command Wong Sui-hang said.
The tusks left Tanzania by ship and were transferred to another vessel in Dubai before making the journey to Hong Kong, Wong said.
Anyone found guilty of importing ivory into Hong Kong faces up to two years in jail and a fine of HK$5 million ($645,000). Even so, the city remains a major trading centre for processed ivory goods such as carvings and jewellery.
Customs officers made the southern Chinese city's largest ivory seizure in October when they intercepted almost four tonnes worth about $3.4 million, hidden in shipments from Kenya and Tanzania. The 1,209 pieces of raw ivory tusk and a small number of ivory ornaments were discovered in two containers masked "plastic scrap" and "beans".
The international trade in ivory, with rare exceptions, has been outlawed since 1989 after African elephant populations dropped from the millions in the mid-20th century to some 600,000 by the end of the 1980s.
My Take.
Kuna swali ambalo huwa najiuliza sana pale ninaposikia kuna shehena ya meno ya tembo yamekamatwa nje ya nchi wakati yamepitia chini ya mikono ya TRA.Najiulizaga hivi TRA nao wanahusikaga katika huu mchezo mchafu???Polisi na watu wa wanyamapori sina shaka juu ya uhusika wao.
Ukiisoma hii ya taarifa Hongkong utagundua kuwa waliowezesha huu mzigo kukamatwa na mingine iliyotangulia kukamatwa ni Customs Officers (Tuseme TRA ya Hongkong) ambao hata hapa nchini wapo na Serikali iliridhia walipwe mishahara minono ili wasiingie Tamaa. Customs Officers ni maofisa ambao mizigo ikitoka na kuingia nchini ni lazma wahusike kuikagua, kuithaminisha na kuitoza kodi stahiki. Ukaguzi huu unahusisha kuiona mali husika kwa naked eyes!
Kinachonishangazaga sasa ni hiki; TRA wanawezaje kufanya TAX valuation ya mzigo uliopo ndani ya container bila kuuona kwa naked ayes????Wanathamishishaje mali hiyobila kuiona???Sitaki kuamin kuwa tunatechnolojia ya kuthaminisha mali kwa kuzungusha mashine tu nje ya container then tukajua thamani ya mzigo uliopo ndan ya containers na kisha kuitoza kodi stahiki. Katika hali kama hii TRA lazima moja kati ya haya linawahusu: -
1. Hawatozi kodi mzigo yote inayoingia na kutoka bandarini (yaani wanafanya sampling kwenye kutoza kodi) hii ni lazma kwa maelekezo maalum.
2. Wanahusika/wananeemeka na uvushwaji wa meno ya Tembo na ndo mana hawayasogelei macontainer yanayobeba meno ya tembo.
3. Walitoza kodi meno ya tembo yaliyokuwa yanatoroshwa kwenda ng'ambo,; Hivyo TRA wanamjua mwenye mali mana katika hekaheka za kulipia ushuru wa containers hizo zenye meno ya tembo lazma identification clues za mwenye container ziliachwa TRA.
Mana kama TRA wangekuwa hawahusuki na huu mchezo na kama wangekuwa wanatoza kodi mizigo yote inayotoka na kuingia nchini, ninaimani macontainer yanayobeba meno ya Tembo yangekuwa yanakamatiwa hapa hapa Tanzania. Kimsingi huu ni ushahidi tosha kuwa our Tax collection system is Porous!!!!!!!!Ona jinsi Customs Officers wa Hongkong wanavyopekua mizigo inayoingia na kutoka nchini mwao had wanakuta meno kila mwezi sasa. Sisi huku kwetu kuna ugumu gani kufanya hivyo?? Je ni container ngapi kwa mwaka zenye mizigo halali (achilia mbali hii ya magendo inayokamatwa Hongkong na kwngneko) zinapitishwa bandarini bila kutozwa ushuru kwa fashion ya haya macontainer ya meno ya Tembo??? Hapo kweli hakuna anayepaswa kuwajibishwa????
Tungekuwa na uongoz usio wa kifisadi, kwa kashfa hii ya kuichafulia nchi jina, Mkuu wa TRA, Waziri husika, Mkuu wa kitengo cha customs, Mkuu wa Polis, Mkuu wa Idara ya wanyamapori wote ni wa kupiga chini na mashtaka ya uzembe juu. Mkuu wa TRA alitakiwa atoe maelezo ya kina ya kwann mzigo huo umepita ofisini kwake bila kukamatwa. Maelezo ambayo najua kwa namna yeyote ile hayawezi kujitosheleza, baada ya hapo ni Segerea Moja kulitumikia taifa. Hiv wenzangu mnadhani haya macontainer yalipitaje hapa kwetu??Na kama kumbe inawezekana container kutoka bila kukaguliwa wala kulipiwa kodi, je ni container ngap hupitishwa bila kodi kwa mwaka????
TRA inadhan kodi pekee ya kuikomalia ni ya kuingiza magari nchini na kuwatight wawalala hoi. Inaacha kutoza kodi macontainer inakomaa na wenye bodaboda. Mwl. JK Nyerere alipata kunena Currupt Government haiwezi kukusanya kodi, leo hii tunayaona aisee..................Mungu amlaze mahali pema peponi yule mzee.
HONG KONG - Hong Kong customs officers have seized more than a tonne of unprocessed elephant tusks worth around $1.37 million on the Chinese ivory market, officials said on Friday.
Forty five bags carrying 569 pieces of unpolished tusks weighing about 1,330 kilogrammes (2,932 pounds) were seized on Thursday in a container from Tanzania, officials said.
"These ivory tusks were concealed with other normal goods. There were 400 bags of sunflower seeds used as concealment," Group Head of Ports and Maritime Command Wong Sui-hang said.
The tusks left Tanzania by ship and were transferred to another vessel in Dubai before making the journey to Hong Kong, Wong said.
Anyone found guilty of importing ivory into Hong Kong faces up to two years in jail and a fine of HK$5 million ($645,000). Even so, the city remains a major trading centre for processed ivory goods such as carvings and jewellery.
Customs officers made the southern Chinese city's largest ivory seizure in October when they intercepted almost four tonnes worth about $3.4 million, hidden in shipments from Kenya and Tanzania. The 1,209 pieces of raw ivory tusk and a small number of ivory ornaments were discovered in two containers masked "plastic scrap" and "beans".
The international trade in ivory, with rare exceptions, has been outlawed since 1989 after African elephant populations dropped from the millions in the mid-20th century to some 600,000 by the end of the 1980s.
My Take.
Kuna swali ambalo huwa najiuliza sana pale ninaposikia kuna shehena ya meno ya tembo yamekamatwa nje ya nchi wakati yamepitia chini ya mikono ya TRA.Najiulizaga hivi TRA nao wanahusikaga katika huu mchezo mchafu???Polisi na watu wa wanyamapori sina shaka juu ya uhusika wao.
Ukiisoma hii ya taarifa Hongkong utagundua kuwa waliowezesha huu mzigo kukamatwa na mingine iliyotangulia kukamatwa ni Customs Officers (Tuseme TRA ya Hongkong) ambao hata hapa nchini wapo na Serikali iliridhia walipwe mishahara minono ili wasiingie Tamaa. Customs Officers ni maofisa ambao mizigo ikitoka na kuingia nchini ni lazma wahusike kuikagua, kuithaminisha na kuitoza kodi stahiki. Ukaguzi huu unahusisha kuiona mali husika kwa naked eyes!
Kinachonishangazaga sasa ni hiki; TRA wanawezaje kufanya TAX valuation ya mzigo uliopo ndani ya container bila kuuona kwa naked ayes????Wanathamishishaje mali hiyobila kuiona???Sitaki kuamin kuwa tunatechnolojia ya kuthaminisha mali kwa kuzungusha mashine tu nje ya container then tukajua thamani ya mzigo uliopo ndan ya containers na kisha kuitoza kodi stahiki. Katika hali kama hii TRA lazima moja kati ya haya linawahusu: -
1. Hawatozi kodi mzigo yote inayoingia na kutoka bandarini (yaani wanafanya sampling kwenye kutoza kodi) hii ni lazma kwa maelekezo maalum.
2. Wanahusika/wananeemeka na uvushwaji wa meno ya Tembo na ndo mana hawayasogelei macontainer yanayobeba meno ya tembo.
3. Walitoza kodi meno ya tembo yaliyokuwa yanatoroshwa kwenda ng'ambo,; Hivyo TRA wanamjua mwenye mali mana katika hekaheka za kulipia ushuru wa containers hizo zenye meno ya tembo lazma identification clues za mwenye container ziliachwa TRA.
Mana kama TRA wangekuwa hawahusuki na huu mchezo na kama wangekuwa wanatoza kodi mizigo yote inayotoka na kuingia nchini, ninaimani macontainer yanayobeba meno ya Tembo yangekuwa yanakamatiwa hapa hapa Tanzania. Kimsingi huu ni ushahidi tosha kuwa our Tax collection system is Porous!!!!!!!!Ona jinsi Customs Officers wa Hongkong wanavyopekua mizigo inayoingia na kutoka nchini mwao had wanakuta meno kila mwezi sasa. Sisi huku kwetu kuna ugumu gani kufanya hivyo?? Je ni container ngapi kwa mwaka zenye mizigo halali (achilia mbali hii ya magendo inayokamatwa Hongkong na kwngneko) zinapitishwa bandarini bila kutozwa ushuru kwa fashion ya haya macontainer ya meno ya Tembo??? Hapo kweli hakuna anayepaswa kuwajibishwa????
Tungekuwa na uongoz usio wa kifisadi, kwa kashfa hii ya kuichafulia nchi jina, Mkuu wa TRA, Waziri husika, Mkuu wa kitengo cha customs, Mkuu wa Polis, Mkuu wa Idara ya wanyamapori wote ni wa kupiga chini na mashtaka ya uzembe juu. Mkuu wa TRA alitakiwa atoe maelezo ya kina ya kwann mzigo huo umepita ofisini kwake bila kukamatwa. Maelezo ambayo najua kwa namna yeyote ile hayawezi kujitosheleza, baada ya hapo ni Segerea Moja kulitumikia taifa. Hiv wenzangu mnadhani haya macontainer yalipitaje hapa kwetu??Na kama kumbe inawezekana container kutoka bila kukaguliwa wala kulipiwa kodi, je ni container ngap hupitishwa bila kodi kwa mwaka????
TRA inadhan kodi pekee ya kuikomalia ni ya kuingiza magari nchini na kuwatight wawalala hoi. Inaacha kutoza kodi macontainer inakomaa na wenye bodaboda. Mwl. JK Nyerere alipata kunena Currupt Government haiwezi kukusanya kodi, leo hii tunayaona aisee..................Mungu amlaze mahali pema peponi yule mzee.
