Police ask Interpol to find Dutch dealer

The Jakarta Post,  Blontank Poer and Slamet Soesanto, Surakarta, Yogyakarta

Central Java Police have requested the assistance of Interpol in locating Hugo Kreijger, a Dutch national allegedly involved in the illegal trade of archaeological artifacts, a high ranking police officer said Monday.

Kreijger is accused of buying and selling stolen goods belonging to Surakarta's Radya Pustaka Museum, some of which have now been seized from the home of a local businessman by police.

"We have contacted the NCB (National Central Bureau)/Interpol and we have also coordinated with other relevant institutions to prevent him from leaving the country," Central Java Police chief Insp. Gen. Doddy Sumantyawan said.

The police say it is believed that Kreijger, who entered the country on a tourist visa, is still in Indonesia.

A lawyer for prominent businessman Hashim Djojohadikusumo has said Hashim bought five statues from Kreijger that were later seized by police, who allege the statues belong to the museum.

Hashim has said he knew Kreijger only as a dealer and consultant for Christie's auction house in Amsterdam. His lawyer said Hashim bought from Kreijger because he worked for a large and reputable establishment.

"The deal didn't take place in Indonesia ... The statues cost Hashim millions of U.S. dollars and not just Rp 500 million as widely reported in the media," lawyer Deni Hermawan Pamungkas said Saturday.

The Jakarta Post tried to contact Christie's representative in Indonesia, Deborah Iskandar, to confirm Kreijger's status with the company, but she was not in the office.

The police have detained four suspects in the case, including museum curator KRH Darmodipuro. They have said the suspects have admitted to creating and placing copies of the artifacts in the museum before selling the originals to Kreijger.

Hashim is the son of the late, respected economist Soemitro Djojohadikusumo and the older brother of the former commander of the Army's Kopassus special forces, Prabowo Subianto.

An archaeologist from Gadjah Mada University, Djoko Dwiyanto, said that most of the collection at Radya Pustaka Museum has already been stolen and replaced with copies.

"The Archaeological Artifacts Preservation Agency should examine thoroughly all the collections in the museum," he said.

The agency is currently conducting a comprehensive evaluation at the museum.

Doors open: Johnny Adams, a Canadian tourist, photographs valuable artifacts at 

Radya Pustaka Museum in Surakarta, Central Java, on Tuesday. The museum was

reopened Tuesday after an eight-month long renovation. (JP/Kusumasari Ayuningtyas) 

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