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Foreigners Loot Panamanian
Patrimony
Despite Panamanian laws,
numerous archaeological pieces
from the pre-Columbian period
are plundered and auctioned
overseas from Panama and the
region as a whole.
Panama America daily reported on
Monday the existence of Internet
catalogs of stolen pieces
(pendants, necklaces and gold
and clay figures of animals)
offered for sale for up to
40,000 dollars, despite laws
protecting the national
heritage.
The newspaper declares that
authenticity of these pieces
cannot be confirmed and that
police claim to be unaware of
such developments so do not
denounce the illegal trade.
An example given in the daily
was an offer for a four-inch, 54
gram crocodile made in gold. The
800-year-old figure was
discovered in central Veraguas
Province.
Colombia estimates more than
10,000 pre-Columbian pieces were
smuggled overseas in 2003, while
last year Costa Rica discovered
a Dutch citizen in possession of
four such pieces.
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