By Peter Sibon
KUCHING, Feb 10: The Sarawak Museum Department is still carrying out research and investigation on the artefacts found near the Central Police Station, Brooke Dockyard and the metal structure found in Lutong Beach, said Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
“(The artefacts) are still under investigation and research is ongoing by the Museum Department. I may not be able to answer that question (when the findings could be made know).
“(But) we have to see the report from the Museum Department first. It will take quite a while. But at least something like these will trigger the interest among our people to know more about certain areas where these artefacts were found,” Abdul Karim told a news conference after launching of Sarawak Museum Journal and Sarawak Museums App at a hotel here today.
He added that whenever artefacts were found, the Museum Department will check and investigate them.
“And if the artefacts are of heritage value, they would become part of our exhibits in our museum in future,” he said.
Abdul Karim was asked to comment on artefacts found in the compound of the Central police station on Dec 17, last year.
It was reported then that several artefacts, including a glass pill bottle believed to have been made in London in the 1880s, have been found during excavation works for a sewerage project. State Museum Department deputy director Dayang Morzanah Awang Haddy had said that a site study work would be carried out by the department’s Archaeological Unit.
One of the artefacts has a word ‘London’ can be clearly seen stamped on the bottle, which is believed to have been made in 1880.
It is learnt that most of the discoveries were in the form of pottery either from China or Europe and possibly from the Middle East.
Meanwhile, Abdul Karim said, under the Sarawak Heritage Ordinance 2019, any findings in the forms of old artefacts must be reported to the Sarawak Museum Department or submitted to the department immediately.
“We have many heritage sites, buildings and forts, which we will preserve under the Sarawak Heritage Ordinance 2019. And at the same time, we will continue to upgrade these heritage sites and buildings such as our forts, historical buildings,” he said, adding that the outlook of these historical buildings must be preserved.
Present at the function was permanent secretary to the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Hii Chang Kee and Sarawak Museum Department director Tazudin Mahtar._DayakDaily
