SGGPO
On the afternoon of May 22nd, the Quang Ngai Provincial People's Committee held a meeting with the Binh Son District People's Committee regarding the suspected illegal exploitation of ancient artifacts at sea.
Mr. Pham Quang Su, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Binh Son district, reported on the situation regarding the suspected illegal excavation of artifacts in the sea area.
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Scenes from the meeting on the afternoon of May 22nd. |
Earlier, at around 5 PM on May 15th, fishermen from Thanh Thuy village (Binh Hai commune, Binh Son district) discovered a fishing boat anchored about 3 nautical miles east of the Thanh Thuy village coastline, suspected of illegally diving for artifacts. Upon verifying the information, several residents of Binh Chau commune confirmed that diving activities for artifacts were currently taking place in the aforementioned sea area.
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Some ceramic artifacts were discovered and seized by the Border Guard. |
The Binh Hai Border Guard Station patrolled the area and discovered 3-4 fishing boats anchored at 8:00 AM on May 16th. By 1:00 PM on May 16th, 5 more fishing boats were anchored approximately 3 nautical miles east-northeast of Ganh Yen Cape, with many air hoses lowered into the sea and some boats pulling them up.
On May 17th, the Provincial Border Guard Command, along with the Binh Hai Border Guard Station, patrolled an area suspected of illegal artifact exploitation at sea. They discovered a fishing vessel with registration number BD-10546, captained by Mr. Nguyen Van Trien (born 1981, Phu Cat district, Binh Dinh province), with eight crew members engaged in diving activities.
During the inspection, 33 ceramic plates and 7 ceramic bowls suspected to be antiques (their age and type have not yet been determined) were discovered. The patrol team drew up a report and temporarily seized the aforementioned items.
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Some bowls and plates were discovered. |
The People's Committee of Binh Son district has directed the district police and the People's Committees of coastal communes to promptly monitor the situation and encourage the people, especially fishermen, to abide by the law and not to arbitrarily explore or illegally exploit suspected ancient artifacts at sea.
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Dr. Doan Ngoc Khoi offered his opinion on the necessity of identifying artifacts and implementing protection solutions based on their function and purpose. |
At the meeting, Dr. Doan Ngoc Khoi, Deputy Director of the Quang Ngai General Museum, stated that Quang Ngai province has experience in discovering and excavating artifacts from ancient shipwrecks in Binh Chau. Therefore, the immediate priority is to determine whether the artifacts are indeed ancient and their age in order to decide on appropriate handling, management, and protection methods.
Mr. Tran Hoang Tuan, Standing Vice Chairman of the Quang Ngai Provincial People's Committee, requested the Quang Ngai Provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism to contact the Border Guard to clearly assess the seized artifacts, determine if they are antiques, their type, and their age. Binh Son District will continue to direct commune-level authorities to educate fishermen on protecting the area, promptly detecting cases of illegal exploitation, and immediately reporting them to the Binh Hai Border Guard Post for timely action. At the same time, based on the seized artifacts, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism will propose a plan for protecting the area, conducting an assessment, and completing this process this week.
Mr. Tran Hoang Tuan emphasized: "The Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has determined that if it is an artifact, it needs to be demarcated, announced, and publicly disclosed for management and protection. We are advising on the situation at the district, commune, and border guard levels to develop a plan for handling those who have been illegally exploiting the site in the past."
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