[meteorite-list] Meteorite hunting (LAWS) by Country

From: James Beauchamp <falcon99_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Wed, 6 Apr 2011 11:53:25 -0700 (PDT)
Message-ID: <536406.62410.qm_at_web81403.mail.mud.yahoo.com>

Hi all,

I'm totally a newby on this particular list - and am a very new person to the study of meteorites, and of course finding them. So please understand that if anyone doesn't have a dog in the hunting debate, it's me.

However, I do want to make a comment regarding the international discussions. Mike, you definitely have a dog in the legal discussion. You've lived it. I'm glad you made it home OK.

Over the past 15 years, I've spent a considerable amount of military time in the middle east. 5 tours worth, including three combat ones. Many of those were working directly with government leaders of multiple levels, of at least 6 different nations and many more tribal backgrounds - Kurdish, to Bedouin, Sunni to Iraqi Christian and so on.

We "westerners" tend to make some serious mistakes regarding interpretations of laws and customs. We are programmed by our culture to concentrate on the letters of the law, procedures and fine print, and discount the more human factors involved.

This is not how most middle eastern countries work. It is a well proven fact that there are many levels of "citizenry" in soutwest asia, with wide variations therein. One of the first things I learned in Saudi Arabia is that you are always at the mercy of your sponsor (or sponsor organization), and for every level of removal from the cultural rule of law you are, you must compensate accordingly with deliberate diligence to stay out of even the hint of trouble. In Saudi Arabia, I was obviously not a citizen, not Muslim, not directly contracted by an industrial sponsor, and did not have an established personal relationship with relevant government officials. Many of our military members were arrested and detained for infractions a Saudi citizen would have been given nothing more than a verbal warning. A minor fine to a Saudi citizen could be a prison sentence for you. You MUST be careful.

Be very careful in statements like "the law does not specifically state meteorites". That's a very western point of view that can get you into trouble. Regardless of what the law states in writing, the interpretation by judges will wildly vary. The definition of artifact is whatever they define it as. That could be a rock, arrow, meteorite, or teacup.

My experience in Saudi was very good. I took the time to understand, accept, and appreciate the culture, and it fostered some wonderful friendships. But I also made serious effort to avoid trouble.

Some countries are more liberal than others (Jordan Vs. Saudi, UAE Vs. Qatar), but be careful and be informed.

Just saying that you need to fully understand the laws, customs, and cultural rules before leaping into assumptions - especially when you intend to leave with more than you came with.

James



--- On Wed, 4/6/11, Thunder Stone <stanleygregr at hotmail.com> wrote:

> From: Thunder Stone <stanleygregr at hotmail.com>
> Subject: [meteorite-list] Meteorite hunting (LAWS) by Country
> To: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
> Date: Wednesday, April 6, 2011, 12:16 PM
>
> List:
> This got me thinking:
> Is there any documented source (that's reliable and up to
> date) regarding the official laws for meteorite
> hunting,?collecting, and?selling?for each?country???I
> have read a lot of views on this matter on the list and
> elsewhere, and it seems so silly not to have the correct
> information available somewhere. ?It would be very helpful
> for meteorite collectors to have this information available
> and documented in one place; perhaps in a publication
> somewhere. ?Knowing which?countries?require permits and
> how to obtain them... etc.
> Much Thanks,
> Greg S. ???
> ????????
> ?????? ???
> ?
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Received on Wed 06 Apr 2011 02:53:25 PM PDT