Bangladesh cancels French museum show after theft of rare artefacts

0 Comments | AFP, December, 2007

DHAKA (AFP) — Bangladesh cancelled plans to send rare artefacts to Paris for a museum exhibition next year after two ancient statues of a Hindu deity were stolen en route to France.

The 1,500-year-old rare terracotta statues of the Hindu god Vishnu disappeared from Zia International Airport in Dhaka on Saturday just hours before they were to be flown to the French capital.

The cabinet decided at a special meeting Tuesday to cancel the exhibition in light of the apparent theft, a government statement said.

"The Guiment Museum would be informed regretfully that it would not be possible to go ahead with holding the exhibition of the items as planned," it said.

The statues were among 188 rare cultural items being sent to the Guimet Museum in the French...