Preservation of artworks emphasised

BY A STAFF REPORTER

Kathmandu, Aug. 27: Theft of statues, carving from streets and historic building of Nepal has been a long-standing problem to preserve such artifact. Many of finest stolen antiques eventually reappear in the international market, where they fetch high prices.

At a one-day symposium on August 30 government officials and others will be studying ways to combat illegal trade of stolen artworks from Nepal. The symposium organised jointly by the Department of Archaeology of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation and UNESCO/Kathmandu aims to highlight the issue with the police, custom officers, cargo shippers and other stakeholders.

According to UNESCO/Nepal, the purpose of the symposium is to raise awareness so that greater steps can be taken to prevent thefts and also that action can be taken to recover artworks through the official channels once they have left the country.

UNESCO/Nepal also says that internationally the UN organisation has taken the lead in developing legal instruments and conventions to address the problem of illicit traffic, and its network of contacts and access to diplomatic channels have assisted in the recovery of stolen property on many occasions.

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