Turtle rock landmark a natural, unprotected object: Expert

Triwik Kurniasari ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Tue, 10/07/2008 10:04 AM  |  City

MOMENTOS OF A STONE: A local landmark, which Cisusuk villagers called turtle rock (batu kuya), was photographed on Sept. 24 as it was lifted out of the Cimangenteng River. (JP/Theresia Sufa)

A turtle-shaped rock, which was removed from the Haur Bentes forest preserve in West Java two weeks ago, is just a natural stone and not any kind of historical artifact, an expert says.

Head of the national archaeological research and development center, Tony Djubiantono, said Monday the massive rock did not date from any specific era.

"I've just examined it and found it to be just a natural stone. We could have considered the rock as a cultural artifact if we had found human carving or writing on it. But for this rock, I found nothing man-made," Tony told The Jakarta Post after examining the stone in Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta.

"This kind of stone can be found in any volcanic area across the country. The rock's shape is also common because lava as it cools can solidify into any shape and size," he said.

The rock had been a landmark for residents living in Cisusuh village.

Locals call it batu kuya, turtle rock, or batu kuda, horse rock, because of its shape.

It stands 4 meters high with a diameter of 3 meters. Regency officials have said it could be a monument dating from the fourth-century Sundanese kingdom called Tarumanagara.

The large stone has become the talk of the town after it was removed from the village on Sept. 24.

Locals said the rock removal process had been going on for about two months. As the rock was extracted, residents could only watch from the riverbanks.

Head of the culture division at the Bogor Tourism and Culture Agency, Boy Gyawarman, previously said the turtle rock had been illegally removed from the protected site.

He later reported it to the state's Ancient Relics Preservation Center.

He said Interpol, which helped investigate the case, found out the rock was at Tanjung Priok port ready to be shipped out of the country.

The director of archaeological relics at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Soeroso, said the rock ought to be examined in case this was an incident of the theft of an ancient artifact.

"The village is part of the preserved area since it is adjacent to the forest. We should protect any cultural artifacts discovered in the area. Since the turtle rock is just a natural stone, we have no authority to protect it anymore. It falls under the authority of the Mining Agency now," Soeroso said.

"I don't mind people removing the rock from the village as long as they have a legal permit from the agency. It's a matter of preserving the country's great natural assets," he said.

The buyer of the rock, Ade Rahmawati, who owns a marble factory in Sukabumi, West Java, said the rock removal was completely legal.

She said she had bought the turtle rock from Jaro Ade, a local leader who now serves on the Bogor regency council.

"I wouldn't have bought it from him if the removal had no permit from the mining agency," Ade said, adding no Korean collector had intended to buy the stone.

"It's not true. It hasn't been sold yet."

"Buying and reselling stones has been my business for a long time and I've never had any problems. So, I was a bit surprised when the turtle rock became a big issue in the city," she said.

She confirmed she and Jaro Ade had promised the villagers a new soccer field, a mosque and facilities for children.

She added she was keeping the stone at an expediting company in Tanjung Priok. "The rock is for sale. I'll keep it there until I find a buyer."

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