bangladesh-France ties are strained over missing Vishnu relics

Dec 26, 2007, 12:54 GMT

Dhaka - A diplomatic row has broken out between Bangladesh and France over two rare Hindu relics which went missing at the airport before they were due to be flown to Paris for display at a French museum, foreign ministry sources said Wednesday.

Ties came under strain as the interim government in Dhaka stopped the transshipment of other ancient artifacts which were waiting to be loaded on to an Air France cargo flight bound for Paris.

The unilateral decision to suspend sending any further ancient relics has cooled ties, as officials on both sides blamed each another for inadequate security at the airport and procedural delays.

Experts believe the two factors gave enough time to art traffickers to plan and execute the heist of the two terracotta images of Lord Vishnu.

An emergency cabinet meeting of the caretaker government decided to ban exports of all remaining artifacts to France until the two stolen statues from the era of the Gupta dynasty were recovered.

'In view of the suspected theft of the relics, and also public sentiment, we have decided to suspend our participation in the exposition in Guimet museum in Paris,' a Bangladesh government statement said.

French officials in Dhaka drew flak from local groups of artists, writers, civil society representatives and other cultural activists protesting the transfer of the priceless relics to Paris.

The temporary transfer of the statues was being carried out under an agreement between the two countries' museum authorities.

Bangladeshi officials from local museums picked 188 highly-prized artifacts for the Paris exhibition. The second consignment had been due to fly out late Monday. The first left for Paris on November 30.