Museums told to tighten security following theft
JAKARTA (JP): The government yesterday ordered all state museums to tighten their security, following the theft of several paintings from the National Museum.
The government and the police yesterday still refused to say how many paintings went missing. They would only confirm that the two paintings dropped from Christie's auction in Singapore were among the paintings reported stolen.
The police said they had no suspects even though they had questioned several people.
Col. Paimin Abuamr, the Jakarta police chief detective, told reporters that the National Museum guards and the staff at the museum at the time of the burglary were among those questioned as witnesses.
The police were formally notified of the theft on Sept 2. But Paimin refused to say when the theft actually occurred.
"We are proceeding with the investigation carefully because it involves the credibility of respected institutions such as Christie's and the Ministry of Education and Culture," he said.
Although the police have no suspects, Paimin was confident they will eventually find the culprits.
The theft was one of the topics discussed yesterday at the monthly meeting of cabinet members under Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Azwar Anas.
Azwar's assistant, Suyono Yahya, told reporters after the meeting that the Ministry of Education and Culture had ordered all museum administrators to tighten their security systems to protect and preserve valuable pieces.
He said that instead of taking inventories every three months, museum administrators were now required to check their collections every week.
Wardiman, Minister of Social Services Inten Suweno and Minister of Health Sujudi were among those at the meeting.
The theft has raised serious questions about lax security at the National Museum.
Wardiman said earlier that the theft was an insiders' job.
Christie's International Singapore Pte Ltd reacted quickly when news of the theft broke last Friday, withdrawing two paintings, A Nude by Basoeki Abdullah in 1992 and Portrait of a Dutch Governor Wearing the Willems Order by Raden Saleh in 1867 from its auction in October.
The two paintings were supposed to be in the care of the National Museum on Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat in Central Jakarta.
Several Indonesian art connoisseurs were puzzled when the two works appeared in Christie's catalog. They began inquiring with official institutions, which then launched an investigation.
News of the theft was reported by the press last Friday.
Reliable sources believe that at least six paintings by world- renowned Indonesian masters, such as Raden Sarief Bustaman Saleh, better-known as Raden Saleh, Affandi and Raden Basoeki Abdullah, were taken from the National Museum, which has lost other paintings in the past.
Suyono criticized the media's treatment of the theft which he said was hampering police investigations and efforts to retrieve the stolen paintings.
"Please treat the news carefully," he pleaded.
He said he was confident the police would be able to trace the theft with the assistance of Christie's.
"We should be able to trace the person who put the sale through Christie's," he said.
The National Police have contacted Interpol in Singapore to help their investigation. "Now we just have to wait for the results," he said.
Christie's general manager's secretary, Billy, said on Tuesday that no officials from Indonesia or Singapore had contacted the auction house on the two Indonesian paintings. (ste/bsr)