Sukarno's books left to decay

Sukarno's books left to decay

BENGKULU, Bengkulu: The personal library of founding president
Sukarno is in danger of being lost after being left without
proper care for a long time.

There are 285 books in Sukarno's house here, all without
covers.

"We do not allow visitors to touch the books because it will
only worsen the damage," Darwis Andrian, a guard at the house,
said on Friday.

Head of Bengkulu's provincial library Syapun Thoha said he had
requested the National Library in Jakarta for special storage for
the precious literature, but had received no response.

Thoha said some of the books were tattered and others almost
unreadable.

According to him, many people visited the house because of the
collection. Therefore the local administration should preserve
those historical items. - Antara