VZCZCXYZ0019
RR RUEHWEB
DE RUEHHK #1067 1650808
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 130808Z JUN 08
FM AMCONSUL HONG KONG
TO RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC
INFO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5079
RHMFIUU/HQ BICE WASHINGTON DC
UNCLAS HONG KONG 001067
USDOC FOR 532/OEA/LHINES/ADYSON
USDOC FOR 3132 FOR FCS/OIO REGIONAL DIRECTOR WILLIAM ZARIT
BICE FOR OFFICE OF STRATEGIC INVESTIGATIONS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: BMGT BEXP HK ETRD ETTC
SUBJECT: EXTRANCHECK: PRE-LICENSE CHECK: LAM LABORATORIES LIMITED
REF: A) USDOC 03060 B) D395838
1. Unauthorized disclosure of the information provided below is
prohibited by Section 12C of the Export Administration Act.
2. As per reftel A request and at the direction of the Office of
Enforcement Analysis (OEA) of the USDOC Bureau of Industry and
Security (BIS), Export Control Officer Philip Ankel (ECO), conducted
a pre-license check (PLC) at Lam Laboratories Limited, 1411-16
Honour Industrial Centre, 6 Sun Yip Street, Chai Wan, Hong Kong
(Lam). The purpose of the visit was to determine the suitability of
Lam to be the recipient of a Agilent 7500CX ICP-MS mainframe that is
the subject of export license application D395838. The item,
classified under Export Control Classification Number 3A233, is
valued at USD 104,000 and is controlled for nuclear nonproliferation
reasons (NP). The license applicant is Agilent Technologies, Inc.
3. According to the Hong Kong Companies Registry, Lam was registered
in 1997. Its share capital is the Hong Kong equivalent of USD 10.
Canadian nationals, Crepin, Jean Michel and James, David as well as
Hong Kong residents Lam, Chun Lim Phoebe and Lee, Man Yan Peter are
listed as directors.
4. A review of Lam's web site (www.Lamlab.com) reveals that Lam is
a member of the Lam Group of companies operating in Hong Kong and
selected provinces in mainland China. It provides a wide range of
testing, investigation and field monitoring services in the
environmental and food safety areas. Clients include government
departments, the food industry, the geotechnical industry,
manufacturing companies, and research institutions, among others.
Lam is accredited under the Hong Kong Laboratories Accreditation
Scheme (HOKLAS) to ISO 17025.
5. On June 12, 2008, ECO visited Lam and met with Mr. Tim Y. T.
Wong, Testing Services Manager. He provided a general overview of
Lam (consistent with information contained on the web site). He
stated that the lab has about 20 employees while the Lam Group of
companies as a whole has approximately 200 employees.
6. As to the specific items in question, Mr. Wong stated that it is
being purchased to replace a ten year old existing unit (HP 4500)
that is quite old and takes nearly two hours to calibrate daily.
ECO was able to see the existing unit and the location for the new
unit. In order to maintain its Hong Kong Government accreditation,
Lam is purchasing this new unit. It will be used to conduct metal
analysis in a range of soil, water and other samples. Mr. Wong
understood that the item requires a U.S. export license as well as a
Hong Kong government import license. Lam will likely not sell the
existing unit and does not expect to sell the new unit any time soon
(but will obtain licenses if the unit is exported from Hong Kong,
according to Mr. Wong).
7. At this time, Lam appears to be a suitable recipient of the
subject controlled item since it cooperated with the PLC and appears
to operate a line of business consistent with the products technical
specifications.
Cunningham