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

From: Roman Jirasek <romanj_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sat, 9 Apr 2011 21:40:46 -0400
Message-ID: <BLU0-SMTP62EDB8D92F4232795E28F0A4A90_at_phx.gbl>

Hi Greg & James

Just got around to reading your posts.

Too bad no one wants to talk about this further, as we all need to know this
stuff.
James makes some good points, obviously there is no easy answer to this
problem.

And it seems like there is no one tackling this huge project.
Not only do the written laws of many countries need to be addressed, but the
actual knowledge on
how to properly incorporate them on your visit to these different cultures.

I can see more trouble in the future if this keeps getting ignored.

Cheers,
Roman Jirasek


-----------------------------------------------------------
From: James Beauchamp falcon99 at sbcglobal.net
Subject: [meteorite-list] Meteorite hunting (LAWS) by Country
To: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
Date: Wed Apr 6 14:53:25 EDT 2011

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 Sat 09 Apr 2011 09:40:46 PM PDT