KUCHING: The Sarawak Museum Department will conduct further study on the recent artifacts found in the compound of the Central Police Station here.
Minster of Tourism, Arts and Culture Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said this was to verify the authenticity of the artifacts.
“I am not an expert in this, but we will get the Museum Department to verify whether they are really artifacts or just something from the coffee shops that were thrown into the drain.
“But looking at what I saw in the papers, it does look like something which are very old. Probably during that time when the present police station was being constructed, there must be some kind of settlement in the area,” he said in a a press conference after presenting the Excellent Craft Award to two Sarawakian artists at the Sarawak Craft Council Showroom, Steamship Building Kuching Waterfront today.
He added except for the shilling, most of the artifacts found were fragmented.
“But that reflects the history of that place. So, I will wait to see what the museum has got to say on this,” he said.
When commenting on the archaeological sites in Santubong, Karim said the state government would open up the sites in Sungai Jaong, Bongkissam and the Wallace Trail for more research to be conducted there.
“Presently, they do find quite a number of artifacts such as potteries, and the museum is doing their research on the age of these artifacts.
“We have to see how old are these artifacts and how important it is in the history and heritage of Sarawak,” he said.
Karim said that if the artifacts found are of value and important, then it would be displayed to the public in the new state museum which is expected to be open in April next year.
It was reported that several artifacts believed to date back to the 1880s have been found during excavation works in the compound of Central Police Station yesterday.
State Museum Department Curator (Conservation Sector) Nicholas Baby Henry told New Sarawak Tribune that they received a report on the findings from the Public Works Department on Wednesday.
He said the work site is being studied by the department’s archaeological unit.
“These artifacts will be taken to the Museum Department and we will do an in-depth and thorough analysis of the history,” he said.
Nicholas said most of the artifacts were pottery pieces from China or Europe, and possibly from London during the early Brooke era.
