[MSN] 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

[Museum Security Network Mailing list]

Govt decision to stop sending artefacts hailed
Staff Correspondent

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.

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