Bamiyan Buddha fragments for sale

LONDON, APRIL 1. Relics of the 2000-year old Bamiyan Buddhas, blown up by Afghanistan's Taliban rulers last month, are now on sale in Pakistan's frontier town of Peshawar.

At least ten truck loads of pieces were driven into the tribal areas between Pakistan and Afghanistan last week and dealers were being approached, the Sunday Telegraph said. One of those contacted was Mr. George Bristow, a leading British dealer in artefacts.

``They tell me that there are many recognisable pieces and that some can be put back together,'' he told the paper.

``Some pieces are very much smashed but there are many still complete. The Taliban blew up the biggest statues to show the world it meant business but there were other pieces and they are selling off the rest.''

Among the complete artefacts offered to Mr. Bristow was a Gandhara Buddha of almost human height in black schist (crystalline rock) and parts of friezes. Describing the Buddhas as ``phenomenal,'' Mr. Bristow said he had contacted the Victoria and Albert museum.

Dealing in this manner was like handling ``a double- edged sword... If you buy, you're supporting an organisation which behaves in the most extreme fashion. But, on the other hand we should save these archaeological treasures,'' he said.

According to reports, traders in Peshawar are eager to acquire bits of the Buddhas to sell to tourists, believing that they would be prized in the same way as pieces of the Berlin Wall.

UNESCO sore

A UNESCO spokesman reacted to the report saying the organisation would frown on any museum paying the Taliban for a relic of something it had deliberately destroyed.

``The Taliban has committed a crime against culture,'' he said.

Sri Lankan medic to buy relics

A Colombo report said Medicina Alternativa, an organisation that promotes and develops alternative medicine, is making an attempt to bring some of the pieces of the destroyed Buddhas to Sri Lanka.

Its head and noted acupuncturist, Prof. Anton Jayasuriya, was quoted by the Sunday Observer as saying that he was greatly disturbed by the destruction and would try to convince the Taliban to allow his organisation to collect some of the pieces.

He had been informed by the Afghanistan Medicina Alternative group of an appointment with the Taliban to discuss the matter.

The Sri Lankan Government had already expressed its willingness to buy the statues.

- PTI, UNI

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