January 16, 2004

Hong Kong Ban Issue of Poultry Import Licenses To Taiwan Traders

Hong Kong has stopped issuing import licenses to Taiwanese poultry traders following the bird flu outbreak, the country's health and agriculture officials said on Friday.

"This is a precautionary measure in view of the evolving avian influenza situation in the region," they said in a statement.

Taiwan on Thursday joined a growing list of Asian countries battling simultaneous outbreaks of bird flu.

The H5N2 virus found in Taiwan is different to the H5N1 one which has emerged in South Korea, Japan and Vietnam - where 13 people have reportedly died after it transferred from birds to humans - and which killed six people during a 1997 outbreak in Hong Kong.

Taipei officials have ordered the slaughter of 20,000 chickens as a precautionary measure.