T

he heads from two Buddha statues at the Plaosan Temple in Prambanan, Klaten, Central Java, have been stolen, with the inadequate security measures at the cultural preservation site to blame, an official said.

The head of the Central Java Archeological Conservation Center's (BP3) working group, Tri Wisma Budi, said the theft was estimated to have occurred Monday at about 6 p.m. and was noticed a few hours later.

"The thief seemed to have cut off the heads of the statues using a sharp object," Tri told The Jakarta Post in a telephone interview Friday.

He said the two missing heads were of a Dhyani Buddha (the statue of Buddha with his curly hair) and a Bodhisattva (the statue of Buddha with a crown). Both heads measure 46 centimeters by 21 centimeters.

The police, according to Tri, are still investigating the case and have questioned a number of witnesses including the security guards on duty when the theft occurred.

Plaosan Temple, which is located in Klaten regency near the famed Prambanan and Sewu Temples, dates from the time of the Ancient Mataram Kingdom.

The temple is divided into two complexes, Plaosan Lor and Plaosan Kidul, and was reportedly built in the 9th century during the rule of King Rakai Pikatan and Sri Kahulunan.

"The security system in the compound is well below standard," said Tri, adding that special security measures were needed to guard the complex.

Covering an area of 20,000 square meters and housing numerous cultural relics, the Plaosan complex has only 15 security personnel who work in three shifts, leaving only five security guards on duty at any one time.

"Five statues have been stolen in three thefts in the last five years," Tri said.

He added the stolen statues could have been sold abroad because the price of such items on the black market could reach billions of rupiah, making it more difficult for officials to trace their location.

Thefts of archeological objects have occurred frequently in the last few years. In 2000 a kudu statue (the sculpture of a human head 25 centimeters high) was stolen from the Bima Temple compound in Dieng Plateau, Central Java. It later turned up in Singapore in 2003 when it was about to be auctioned off at Christie's.

Another kudu statue also went missing in 2003 at the same temple but was later found 2 kilometers away. Only 13 of the original 24 kudu statues in the Bima Temple are still in place, Tri said. The others have been stolen.