TEMPO.CO, Banyuwangi - The Trowulan Cultural Heritage Preservation Agency (BPCB), East Java, is investigating the alleged sale of four inscription plates from Banyuwangi to Bali for Rp20 million (approx. $ 1,780).
Head of East Java BPCB, Aris Soviyani, said on Wednesday that the tablets were sold to a website by a Balinese collector. After tracking down the information, he said, the BPCB will test the originality of the tablets. If they are authentic, BPCB will be willing to buy them to the price offered. "Because not all findings are real," he said.
Aris said that based on Law No. 11/2010 on Cultural Heritage, finders of any historical artifact should report the finding to the government. Failing to do so, let alone selling the artifact, may lead to the finders being charged with legal sanctions.
The first person to have reported the sale was Rudi, member of a facebook group called the Majapahit Group. On October 23, Rudi spotted an advertisement to sell the tablets. He sent the seller a message to ask for more detail as well as making an offer. "The Rp20 million turned out to be a local price," Rudy told Tempo, Wednesday, October 30.
According to Rudy, the seller said that the tablets came from a village in Banyuwangi. They were made of copper and they have inscriptions on both sides. Rudy refused to name the rare artifact collector because the case is still being investigated by the government and NGOs.
"There needs to be a persuasive approach so that the tablets won't fall to the hands of foreign collectors," Rudy said. The facebook post advertising the tablets has been removed.
Suhalik, a historian from Banyuwangi, said that the sales of ancient artifacts from Banyuwangi to Bali often occur. A couple of years ago, he said, megalithic stones from Glenmore District were sold to Bali, carried by dozens of trucks.
Another example is the ongoing sales of historical artifacts from the Macan Putih site. "I've reported it many times to the regional government, but they’ve taken no action whatsoever," he said.
Muhammad Yanuar Bramuda, Banyuwangi's Tourism and Culture Acting Chief, admitted he hasn't given his full attention to Banyuwangi's historical sites. He promised to pass a regional bill on Cultural Heritage in 2014.
IKA NINGTYAS
