MCB Says There Are 817 Historical Collections in 6 Rooms of Building A of the National Museum That Burned Down

JAKARTA - Acting Head of the Public Services Agency for Museums and Cultural Heritage (BLU MCB), Ahmad Mahendra, explained that the total collection and historical objects stored at the National Museum of Indonesia are 194 thousand.

"There are 817 collections on display and they are in six rooms affected by the fire. The collection objects are made from bronze, ceramics, terracotta, wood and a collection of miniatures and replicas of prehistoric objects. The collections were found in intact condition, with light to heavy damage," said Mahendra in a statement officially received by VOI, Tuesday, September 19.

Mahendra further said that the Museum and Cultural Heritage is committed to providing details regarding the list of affected collections, steps for handling and restoring further collections after the results of the official investigation are obtained from the National Police Pusiablor.

"We have also opened communication with a number of experts to be able to work together and provide support in the process of saving and restoring all affected collections as well as better management of museums and cultural heritage in the future," he said.

Mahendra explained that the restoration and identification process for all collections affected by the fire as a result of the disaster was a detailed process.

"So it requires sufficient and adequate time and space. This incident is a momentum for us to make changes at MNI so that it becomes much better and moves towards world museum standards," he said.