【新唐人2014年11月08日訊】11月6號，總部位於英國倫敦的非政府組織「環境調查機構」（Environmental Investigation Agency，EIA）發佈報告，引述地下象牙供應者的話說，中國駐坦桑尼亞大使館的外交官是非法象牙的最大買家。去年中共總書記習近平訪問坦桑尼亞時，隨行官員買下了數千公斤偷獵的象牙，裝在外交郵袋裡，搭乘習近平的專機送往中國。不過，對此中方表示否認。

這份題為《消失點：犯罪、腐敗以及坦桑尼亞大象的毀滅》的報告說，「環境調查機構」的調查員從地下象牙供應者口中得知，2013年3月，習近平出訪坦桑尼亞時，隨行的中共官員和商界領袖大批購買非法象牙，導致當地象牙的價格翻了一番，達到每公斤7萬美元。

根據「環境調查機構」公布的錄像，地下像牙供應者向偽裝成買家的調查員聲稱，在習近平訪問坦桑尼亞的時候，就有官員事先向他們購買「兩千公斤」的象牙。

這些供應者說，隨後官員護送象牙到機場，將象牙送上了習近平所搭乘的專機。報告稱，部份象牙甚至被打包在外交郵袋中，裝上習近平的專機。

報告引述地下象牙商人稱，買家鑽了外交訪客不需要接受安檢的漏洞。報告還說，同樣的走私手法也發生在中共前總書記胡錦濤過去出訪時。至少從2006年起，一些中共大使館的官員就開始大批購買盜獵的象牙。

中共外交部發言人洪磊6號出面否認，聲稱相關報導「毫無根據」，中方表示強烈不滿。

但報告說：中共外交官和軍方人員，與腐敗的坦桑尼亞官員、以及以中國人為首的犯罪集團勾結，把大量的非法象牙運往中國，導致坦桑尼亞的大象數量減半。

「環境調查機構」在一份聲明中說：僅去年，坦桑尼亞被偷獵殺死的大象就有大約1萬頭。當地禁獵區的大象數量從2009年的3.9萬頭下降為去年的1.3萬頭。而中國是走私象牙的最大進口國。

美國國際愛護動物基金會、亞洲部負責人葛瑞：「這是很可怕的事情 ，就是現在的這個在走私中的象牙變得越來越小，要不就是他們殺的是小的，因為它們生活在森林裡，一般生活在中非和西非的森林裡，因為有很厚的森林覆蓋，研究它們非常難，得知它們到底種群有多大也非常難，那麼同時給盜獵分子提供很大一個機會。」

「國際保護組織」長期以來，指責北京對中國在非法象牙貿易中所起的主要作用，睜一只眼閉一只眼，自從聯合國支持的「瀕危野生動植物種國際貿易公約」的官員，允許中國在2008年購買了68噸非洲像牙的合法儲備後，中國的非法交易一路攀升。

「環境調查機構」的數據和採訪顯示，中國公民深度捲入象牙交易。調查員通過隱藏攝像頭記錄到，中國和坦桑尼亞走私販承認買賣非法象牙，幾個中國走私販說，非法象牙佔據中國市場的90%。

美中科技交流協會負責人謝家葉：「在美國海關查的是非常嚴的 ，如果查到你在行李裡面夾帶象牙製品，那是以走私論處，一般不敢輕易觸法，（中國）執法上面托個人情，然後通過一些甚麼渠道帶入境，所以這些你不能夠把漏洞堵全的話，販賣象牙的事情就會越來越嚴重。」

地下象牙商人再三告訴「環境調查機構」的調查員，中共駐坦桑尼亞大使館人員是主要的象牙買家。

英國《BBC》引用該報告的主要撰寫人之一——蘇瑞希的話說，報告內容都是來自EIA的調查員所收集的資料和情報。她說，許多媒體報導和公開資料都顯示，中國是世界上最大的走私象牙進口國，先前坦桑尼亞當局逮捕了一名走私象牙的嫌犯，這人就是中國大使館的前僱員。她強調：不容否認，領頭國際走私象牙的就是華人犯罪團夥。

採訪編輯/李韻 後製/肖顏

EIA Report: Xi’s Presidential Plane Helps To Smuggle Ivory

November 6, headquartered in London, UK NGO Environmental

Investigation Agency (EIA) released a report, quoting the

words of the underground ivory suppliers, a Chinese diplomat

in Tanzania is the biggest purchaser of the illegal ivory.

Last year, when Chinese Communist Party (CCP) General

Secretary Xi Jinping visited Tanzania, the accompanying

officials sent thousands of kilograms of poached ivory in the

diplomatic mail bag via Xi Jinping’s plane to China.

However, the Chinese authorities denied this.

The report “Vanishing Point – Criminality, Corruption

and the Devastation of Tanzania’s Elephants" reads:

Earlier that year, in March, the visit of a large official

delegation accompanying Chinese President Xi Jinping

to Tanzania created a boom in illegal ivory sales and caused

local prices to double to $ 70,000 per kilogram.

According to EIA videos, underground ivory providers told the

disguised purchaser that some officials purchased

2,000 kg of ivory during Xi Jinping’s visit to Tanzania.

These suppliers said then officials escorted the ivory to

Xi Jinping’s plane.

The report said, some ivory were even packaged in the diplomatic

bag to fit in Xi Jinping’s plane.

The report cited the underground ivory traders saying, the

purchasers took advantage of the diplomatic visitors,

who do not need a security check.

The report also said the same smuggling practices

also occurred during former CCP General Secretary

Hu Jintao’s visit.

At least since 2006, some Chinese officials began buying large

numbers of poached ivory.

November 6, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei denied

the relevant report as being baseless and

expressed strong dissatisfaction.

But the report said: Chinese-led criminal gangs are conspiring

with corrupt Tanzanian officials to traffic huge amounts of ivory,

a trade which has caused half of Tanzania’s elephants to be poached.

EIA said in a statement: there were about 10,000 poached

elephants in Tanzania only last year.

The elephant number of local elephants in sanctuary fell from

39,000 in 2009 to 13,000 last year.

And China is the largest importer of smuggled ivory.

US International Fund For Animal Welfare (IFAW) Asian

Regional director Grace: This is very terrible.

The smuggled ivory is getting smaller.

It could be that they are killing the younger elephants.

The elephants live in the deep forests of the Central and

West Africa, which makes it very difficult to investigate

these animals, for the size of the population, and provides

a great opportunity to the poachers.

NY Times report: International conservation groups have long

accused Beijing of turning a blind eye to China’s major role

in the illegal ivory trade.

Which has surged since officials with the Convention on

International Trade in Endangered Species, or Cites, permitted

China to buy 68 tons of African ivory in 2008.

Investigators with the organization have documented, often

with hidden cameras, Chinese and Tanzanian smugglers

acknowledging that they had bought and sold illegal ivory.

This illegal ivory, several Chinese traffickers have said

accounted for 90 percent of the Chinese ivory market.

US-China Association of Science and Technology Director

Xie Jiaye: The customs check in the U.S. is very strict.

Any ivory item in luggage is considered smuggling.

Generally, people would not dare to break the law.

But, in China, the networking often creates loopholes.

The ivory smuggling will only get increasingly serious.

The ivory traders told EIA that diplomats at the Chinese

Embassy of Tanzania are the main buyers.

BBC quoted the reporter as saying that the EIZ investigation

and information has revealed that China is the world’s largest

importer of smuggled ivory.

Accordingly, a smuggler arrested was formerly an employee

of the Chinese Embassy.

The reporter emphasized that the Chinese gangs are undoubtedly

the leaders in the international ivory smuggling.

Interview & Edit/LiYun Post-Production/XiaoYan