Ton Cremers – Knowledge Provider Art Security – Art Security Consultancy – Museum Security Network

Archaeologists and eminent citizens who had been opposing sending the country's artefacts to an exhibition in France welcomed the government decision of cancelling any further shipment of the artefacts until the relic heist incidence is resolved

Govt decision to stop sending artefacts hailed.

Archaeologists and eminent citizens who had been opposing sending the country’s artefacts to an exhibition in France welcomed the government decision of cancelling any further shipment of the artefacts until the relic heist incidence is resolved. They also expressed their concern over retrieval of the two stolen precious relics and the safekeeping of the ones already shipped out to Guimet Museum in France. They demanded a comprehensive investigation into the entire process of sending the artefacts abroad.

They also criticised the acting French ambassador and termed his remarks “intervention into the affairs of a country.”

“I personally welcome the government for taking the decision, though the decision could have been taken much earlier. I now worry over getting back the artefacts that had been sent already and wonder what will happen to the two stolen artefacts,” said Shamsuzzaman Khan, former director general of National Museum.

“From the beginning, we tried to reach the government, but the government did not allow us time,” he added.

“The way the acting ambassador of France reacted to the protest against sending of the artefacts is condemnable,” he said adding, “We did not expect such remark from a man of such position and from such a country enriched with culture and heritage.”

Prof Rafiqun Nabi commenting on the government’s decision said, “Acting on this decision, we should not relax yet since more artefacts are still in France. We will have to get them back as soon as possible.”

The government should take the issue of getting back the shipped out artefacts very seriously, he added.

Prof Shah Sufi Mustafizur Rahman, chairman of Department of Archaeology at Jahangirnagar University, said, “The government should initiate an investigation to identify the persons involved in the process of sending the precious relics for the exhibition abroad. Otherwise, such incident will continue to recur.”

Shishir Bhattacharya of Institute of Fine Arts at Dhaka University praised the government for cancelling further shipments of the artefacts to France. He strongly said that the artefacts that had already been sent to France must be brought back immediately.

“We are concerned about the priceless artefacts that had already been sent in 10 boxes to Guimet Museum in Paris. Those boxes must have been unwrapped by this time and we are afraid any thing might happen to them.”

He also demanded investigation into the relic theft at Zia International Airport and punishment to the perpetrators of the crime.

http://www.thedailystar.net/