Elzo Molenberg (right), Deputy Head of Mission and Head of Political, Economic, Press and Cultural Department at the Netherlands Embassy, receives the letter of appeal from Chinese Li Zhen on April 13. Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn
It is high time Chinese authorities exerted their influence in demanding the return of a mummified Buddha statue from a collector in the Netherlands, overseas Chinese nationals claimed on Tuesday.
In a letter to the State Administration of Cultural Heritage, the Federation of Chinese Social Organizations in Hungary called for officials to make contact and negotiate with the anonymous Dutch collector regarding what is believed to be the statue of Patriarch Zhanggong belonging to a village in East China's Fujian province.
"We'll fully cooperate with Chinese authorities if necessary to bring about the return of the statue as soon as possible," read the letter, which was sent to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the Overseas Affairs Office of the State Council and the Fujian Provincial Government as well.
The collector, through the Drents Museum in Assen, has said he would only respond to official requests, following a peaceful protest by members of some civil Chinese groups outside the Dutch Embassy in Hungary a day earlier.
He also revealed that no official message, from any authority, has reached him yet.
Commissioned by villagers for retrieval of the statue, the Federation of Chinese Social Organizations in Hungary has done a great deal over the past month, including drafting two open letters to the collector and another to the Dutch Prime Minister.
Federation members also presented two petitions to the Dutch Embassy and a European Commission organization in Hungary.
