CNN:Dinosaur Fossil Dealers Sentenced to Imprisonment

[Betty Cunningham <bettyc@flyinggoat.com>]

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Dinosaur Fossil Dealers Sentenced to Imprisonment
Xinhua        23-JUN-99

KUNMING (June 23) XINHUA - 
Three people in southwest China's Yunnan Province have been sentenced to
prison terms of from three to five years for illegally unearthing and
selling dinosaur fossils. 

 Dinosaur fossils are under state protection in China. Qi Changxi, a
herdsman of Lufeng County, and two of his fellow villagers concealed the
precious fossils they discovered early last year. They were caught
red-handed by local police trying to sell the fossils in January. 

Located 110 km from Yunnan's capital of Kunming, Lufeng has been known
for its abundant fossils of prehistoric creatures since the first one
was excavated in 1938. 

Local departments responsible for relic protection have established a
complete system for discovery, reporting and registration of fossils.
They also carry out widespread publicity work to educate the local
people on fossil protection. 

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