A shipwreck was found off the coast of Indonesia by fishermen. There were several pieces of valuable Chinese ceramics onboard the ship. Without many laws concerning such things in Indonesia, the fishermen began looting the site and selling the pieces. Luckily the Indonesian government took charge and had a German company, Seabed Explorations, excavate the site. The exhibit can now be found in Singapore. The Smithsonian Museum wanted to bring the exhibit to the United States, but many believe they shouldn't do so because the merchandise was looted, and the policy of the Smithsonian says that they would never display items that have been stolen. However, members of the museum argue that the artifacts were from the German Seabed Explorations and not the looting fishermen. An announcement will be made later this month to determine if the artifacts will come to America.
To be honest, I think the Smithsonian is just pulling strings to attract more people to the site. The items were indeed looted.Therefore, the museum should have no business even taking a glance at the objects. If you're going to make a code and regulations to follow, make sure you stick by it. Don't try and bend the rules for yourself to make a profit. It will anger a lot of people, as the article shows.
Another thing, why aren't there any regulations in Indonesia about things like this? This is why America is so great. We have thought of every possible law there is, and have spelled it out so that all know what is legal and what is not. Clearly, looting is illegal here. Yet, Indonesia accepts such behavior. I think it's about time to start revising the laws in that country.
While reading the article, I received massive amounts of information...and I mean MASSIVE. My brain was at an overload. I wanted to cram everything in, but the cramming made me lose focus. With the radio, it was more enjoyable, but I missed some facts that I would have seen had I read it. Neither method captured me honestly. I think that seeing it for myself woud be better. I prefer a visual with an explanation. It simply helps me to retain all of the information.
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