Dhaka - The Ministry of Culture in Bangladesh said France
had agreed to send back all the ancient relics which were shipped to
Paris from Dhaka nearly a month ago, officials said Thursday.
The Dhaka government also said it would scrap a bilateral accord
under which centuries-old Bangladeshi relics were to be displayed
during an exhibition sponsored by the Paris Guimet museum.
The sudden cancellation of the accord followed the suspected theft
in Dhaka of two priceless relics of the Hindu God Vishnu when these
were to be put on an Air France cargo plane last week.
The unilateral step by the cultural authorities visibly upset the
French museum officials who were counting on Bangladesh's
participation in the exhibition.
Foreign Affairs Adviser Iftekharuddin Ahmed Chowdhury however said
the ties between Bangladesh and France would not be affected.
Dhaka intelligence sources said police and elite Rapid Action
Battalion commandos had traced the 7th Century Vishnu statues. But
the claim could not be confirmed by independent sources.
Private TV channels said eight more suspects believed to be
directly involved were arrested overnight, raising to 24 the number
of people detained since the two antique treasures went missing.
A senior cabinet minister in Bangladesh has resigned over the
missing relics, which were reportedly stolen while in transshipment
to France.
Ayub Quadri resigned from his office as Cultural Affairs Adviser
to the caretaker government, a position which made him head of the
Ministry of Culture.
Quadri accepted moral responsibility for the alleged theft of the
two rare relics scheduled to be flown to paris on 22 December along
with over 143 other specimens as the second consignment of artifacts.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur 
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