ID :
120556
Thu, 05/06/2010 - 16:22
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/120556
The shortlink copeid
SUNKEN TREASURE AUCTION FLOPS
By Ahmad Fuad Yahya
JAKARTA, May 6 (Bernama) -- An auction to sell sunken treasure discovered in the waters off Cirebon, West Java and estimated to have a value of US$80 million (RM250 million) ended in failure five minutes after it started when there were no takers.
The auctioneer who began the auction at 2.27pm (local time) today called it
off five minutes later when not a single party deposited the US$16 million
required to participate in it.
A total of 270,000 items including 10th century Chinese ceramics had been on
offer.
It was the first time the Indonesian government had an auction for sunken
treasure and had entered into a 50-50 arrangement on sharing the revenue with
the finders.
Present to witness the auction were Indonesia's Maritime and Fisheries
Minister Fadel Muhammad and Culture and Tourism Minister, Jero Wacik.
Speaking at a press conference later, Fadel said as a next step, Indonesia's
National Committee on Sunken Treasures would update President Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono on today's development.
He said his ministy would also be holding discussions with Unesco to look
into the possibility of setting up a maritime museum in the country to house
sunken treasures found in its waters.
Alternately, he said, laws on sunken treasures mighty have to be reviewed to
ensure parties involved in raising sunken treasures in the waters around Cirebon
did not suffer lossses.
It was said the poor response was because of a lack of promotion whereby
publicity for the auction was only held for two weeks whereas at the
international level, it was done for at least a period of one year.
-- BERNAMA
JAKARTA, May 6 (Bernama) -- An auction to sell sunken treasure discovered in the waters off Cirebon, West Java and estimated to have a value of US$80 million (RM250 million) ended in failure five minutes after it started when there were no takers.
The auctioneer who began the auction at 2.27pm (local time) today called it
off five minutes later when not a single party deposited the US$16 million
required to participate in it.
A total of 270,000 items including 10th century Chinese ceramics had been on
offer.
It was the first time the Indonesian government had an auction for sunken
treasure and had entered into a 50-50 arrangement on sharing the revenue with
the finders.
Present to witness the auction were Indonesia's Maritime and Fisheries
Minister Fadel Muhammad and Culture and Tourism Minister, Jero Wacik.
Speaking at a press conference later, Fadel said as a next step, Indonesia's
National Committee on Sunken Treasures would update President Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono on today's development.
He said his ministy would also be holding discussions with Unesco to look
into the possibility of setting up a maritime museum in the country to house
sunken treasures found in its waters.
Alternately, he said, laws on sunken treasures mighty have to be reviewed to
ensure parties involved in raising sunken treasures in the waters around Cirebon
did not suffer lossses.
It was said the poor response was because of a lack of promotion whereby
publicity for the auction was only held for two weeks whereas at the
international level, it was done for at least a period of one year.
-- BERNAMA
