Treasure hunters nabbed in Bogor Botanical Garden

Treasure hunters nabbed in Bogor Botanical Garden

Theresia Sufa, The Jakarta Post, Bogor, West Java

Seven would-be treasure hunters on a mystically inspired mission
to dig up the Bogor Botanical Gardens were nabbed by police in
the early hours of Friday.

One of the seven, Rahmawati, told officers at the Bogor Police
precinct that she received a wangsit (divine inspiration) from a
Dutch woman in a dream on Tuesday in which she was told make a
devotional visit to the graves of Dutch people the woman said
were buried inside the garden compound.

The next day, Rahmawati and husband Bambang, who live in
Jagakarsa, South Jakarta, went to the site near the Mexico garden
and found a brown pouch with two stones inside and a piece of
paper with Dutch writing on it.

"The paper was dated the year 1802 and said there was treasure
in the garden. After finding the pouch we went home," said
Rahmawati, who claimed she could speak Dutch.

Later that night, she dreamed of meeting the Dutch woman who
told her to return to the garden and look for the grave of Queen
Siluman (a mythical figure who takes the appearance of an animal
for mischievous purposes).

"The lady said in my dream that there were blocks of gold and
platinum under the grave. They would be enough to pay the state
debts," she said.

On Thursday at 9 p.m., Rahmawati and Bambang took their
neighbors to the site and started digging. Five hours later,
police arrived and arrested them.

Bogor Police detectives chief, Adj. Comr. Yayan Sopian, said
that police got a tipoff about the treasure hunters at 12:30 a.m.

"We are still questioning the suspects and investigating the
case. We will call experts find out if they have damaged a place
of cultural heritage or destroyed the garden conservatory area,"
he said.

Bogor Botanical Garden head of services and information
Sugiarti said she had no knowledge of the existence of the Queen
Siluman grave.

"There is a grave in the garden that is often visited by
locals. It is the grave of Mbah (grandfather) Jepra located near
the Ciliwung river that flows through the garden," she said.
Jepra was a commander during the Pajajaran Kingdom.

The latest incident is the second case in recent times where
people have hunted for treasure in Bogor. In August 2002, the
Minister of Religious Affairs, Said Agil Al Munawar, was strongly
criticized after he ordered an excavation on a site near a stone
inscription from the 16th century Pajajaran Kingdom.

Said claimed that he was told by a "wise man" and that the
treasure, if discovered, could repay the country's ballooning
foreign debt.

The government is burdened with domestic and foreign debts of
US$130 billion.

The 87-hectare Bogor Botanical Gardens host 15,000 species of
tropical plants, which include 400 types of magnificent palms and
the world's largest flower, the Rafflesia.