VZCZCXYZ0001
PP RUEHWEB
DE RUEHHK #0130 0250802
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 250802Z JAN 10
FM AMCONSUL HONG KONG
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9458
INFO RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 0580
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHMCSUU/FBI WASHINGTON DC
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/HQ BICE INTEL WASHINGTON DC
UNCLAS HONG KONG 000130
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR PM/DTCC - BLUE LANTERN COORDINATOR
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ETTC KOMC HK
SUBJECT: BLUE LANTERN LEVEL 3: PRE-LICENSE END-USE CHECK ON
APPLICATION 050197283
REF: 09 SECSTATE 131175
1. (SBU) Per reftel request, post conducted a pre-license
check on application 050197283 for the export to Hong Kong of
an infrared camera which is part of an infrared microscope.
In post's assessment, the Hong Kong Heritage Museum, which is
under the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region's (HKSARG)
Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), is a
reliable recipient of reftel item.
2. (SBU) On January 15, Post's Blue Lantern Coordinator (BLC)
and Economic Officer met with Mr. Lai Wing-fai, Assistant
Curator, and Ms. Tang Man-wai, Assistant Curator II
(Conservation), from the Central Conservation Section at the
Hong Kong Heritage Museum in the Sha Tin district. The Hong
Kong Heritage Museum will be using reftel item. Mr. Lai
provided BLC a copy of the HKSARG purchasing documents for
reftel item, including brochures from manufacturer Bruker
Optics. Mr. Lai's office will use reftel item to analyze
organic material in the museum's collection, including paint.
He added that museum staff needed to understand the nature
of materials to employ proper preservation techniques. This
is in line with the stated purpose of using reftel item,
i.e., to carry out non-invasive microanalysis of museum
artwork and collections in order to create a museum
conservation plan.
3. (SBU) LCSD has secure facilities and proper accounting and
security procedures for handling reftel item. Mr. Lai had
registered BLC and Economic Officer as visitors at the
museum's employee entrance, which allowed access to the
conservation and collection storage areas. The venue
maintains a 24-hour guard presence. After passing a manned
guard station, Mr. Lai used a key card at the employee
entrance, then the group passed two additional guards before
arriving at the Central Conservation Section's office. This
office was secured with a key lock and a combination lock.
The museum conducts an annual equipment inventory. Museum
staff will retain positive control of reftel item at all
times.
4. (SBU) The work of the LCSD involving reftel item will take
place at the Sha Tin office of the Hong Kong Heritage Museum.
The work will not involve persons from the People's Republic
of China (PRC). Although the office has interns, they are
supervised and usually come from places such as Germany,
Portugal, and Macau. There is little cooperation with the
PRC in the office's work. This office has not previously
sought or purchased United States Munitions List (USML)
items, although it has purchased equipment similar to reftel
infrared microscope from the Netherlands in the past. BLC
and Economic Officer explained restrictions on USML items,
including the prohibition against unauthorized re-transfer
and re-export, and passed Mr. Lai an information sheet
containing contact information for the Directorate of Defense
Trade Controls (DDTC) Response Team.
MARUT