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Kathmandu Friday August 31, 2001 Bhadra 15, 2058.
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Declaration to control illicit idols
trafficking issued
By Razen Manandhar
KATHMANDU, Aug 30 - The United Nation’s Educational
Scientific and Cultural Oganisation (UNESCO) adopted a conference 30 years ago to put an
end to international smuggling of objects of arhaeological vaules around the world.
However, the illegal trafficking of such items have not stopped in last three decades in
Nepal, conservationists said today.
UNESCO adopted the Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and
Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property on
November 4, 1970 that was taken as the first global legal instrument for the protection of
cultural heritage from theft and pillaging.
A Kathmandu Delcaration, issued in the symposium requests
"all the countries which have not yet ratified the 1970 Convention to ratify it at
the earliest."
It also suggests the government to create an Internet website
with discription of such images.
At the same programme, Secretary at the Ministry of Culture
Barun Shrestha launched postcards with pictures of missing and recovered idols of Nepal.
It is hoped that the publication will help bring the stolen idols back to Nepal.
Jurgen Shick, the author of "The Gods are Leaving the
Country", who have studied the trend of illicit trafficking of cultural property in
Nepal, said over 90 percent of the high quality images have left the country and what you
can see here are mostly those which are either less important or quite difficult to pluck
out.
"Two thirds of the total number of ancient sculptures
found at open places in Kathmandu have already been stolen," he said.
He also remarked that for Nepalis they might mean nothing
because of lack of cultural attachment but each of the images is unique and thus could
value more than hundreds of Toyotas or Pajeros.
Dr Yoshiaki Kitamura, the UNESCO representative to Nepal said
this sad state of affairs (of illegal trafficking) is by no means unique to Nepal. He
said, "Many countries in Asia, Africa and the Americas face a similar threat."
He urged Nepali government bodies to record vulnerable art
treasures with renewed energy.
Pradeep Raj Pandey, the chief executive officer of Nepal
Tourism Board, said lack of documentation and inventory, political instability and the
absence of strong national legislation makes the way clear for looting.
Peter Laws, Cultural Heritage Specialist of UNESCO Kathmandu
Office shed light on UNESCO 1970 Convention and UNIDROIT 1995 Convention on Stolen and
Illegally Exported Cultural Objects.
"We have now international supports to bring such
smuggled objects back and we need to work to have it done," he said.
Karna Shakya, the chairperson of KGH Hotels and Resorts and
former president of Nepal Heritage Society said UNESCO is helpless for not being able to
bring most of the recepient countries under the convention.
Dr Keshav Raj Jha, the chairman of Nepal International Centre
proposed to start a system of Cultural Protection Police to safeguard the ancient
monuments that could be stolen away any time.
Kanak Mani Dixit, the chief editor of Himal
South-Asian,however,said the people should first be aware about the importance of such
idols before bringing them back and restoring on their original pedestals.
"The people of the Capital city have not yet realised
the value of cultural objects which are in fact the wealth and the pride of the city
dwellers," he said.
The symposium was jointly organised by UNESCO Kathmandu
Office and Department of Archaeology.
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