Police recover ancient statue

MATARAM, West Nusa Tenggara: Local police have arrested 12 people for allegedly stealing a 300-year-old statue of Buddha worth Rp 40 million, Antara reported.

The head of West Nusa Tenggara Public Museum, Djoko Prayitno, announced on Friday that police captured the suspects following reports by residents in Bayan, where the statue was being fenced.

"The 300-pound statue was about to be sold by the thieves to a buyer in Cakranegara, who intended to later sell it to a businessman in Bali," he said.

Djoko conceded that historical objects in about 40 cultural sites were subject to theft as their locations were secluded, and the officials who guard the sites are limited to only 50 officials.

The theft of a historical object violates Law No.5/1992 on cultural conservation. The law stipulates a fine totaling millions of rupiah. (09)