Re: Move to stop "illegal" fossil acquisitions in Japan

["Michael Schmidt" <dmschmidt@sprint.ca>]

Gee, I wonder what they would say about the Burgess material in these same
collections?  I know of a few museums in Japan who have purchased Burgess
material from dealers in Tucson.

Michael

----------
> From: MKIRKALDY@aol.com
> To: dinosaur@usc.edu
> Subject: Move to stop "illegal" fossil acquisitions in Japan
> Date: Tuesday, July 28, 1998 2:59 PM
> 
> The Kyodo News Service is reporting that the Education Ministry wants
> Japan's science museums "not to go against laws of origin countries 
> when gathering exhibits such as fossils" even though the purchase
> and possession of the fossils is not against Japanese laws.
> 
> "The ministry's call followed the revelation that at least five public 
> museums in Japan hold _Confuciusornis sanctus_ Chinese bird fossils 
> despite Beijing's ban on their export..."
> 
> "Officials at museums in Ibaraki, Aichi, Osaka, Tottori and Okayama 
> prefectures said earlier this month that the museums bought the 
> Confuciusornis sanctus fossils from fossil dealers who gave 
> assurances the purchases were legitimate." 
> 
> "Chinese government export permission documents were not attached 
> to any of the fossils, however." 
> 
> Mary 
> mkirkaldy@aol.com