Police chase shipwreck treasure hunter

Bagus BT Saragih, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 04/30/2010 9:48 AM

Facing jail ... Queensland treasure hunter Mike Hatcher. (brisbanetimes)

Authorities are hunting Michael Hatcher, a foreign shipwreck treasure hunter believed to be operating in Indonesian waters.

Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Fadel Muhammad said Thursday he dispatched a joint investigation team to pursue Hatcher.

“I have received many reports about [Hatcher] and his illegal activities. I told my men to monitor Hatcher’s movements at sea,” Fadel told The Jakarta Post.

National Police chief detective Comr. Gen. Ito Sumardi confirmed a team of water police had been assigned to arrest Hatcher.

“We have identified his boat. We are now monitoring his activities,” Ito said.

Fadel said he did not know Hatcher very well. “But since I began serving as a minister in 2009, [Hatcher’s] name has been mentioned as a famous treasure hunter,” the Golkar politician said.

Hatcher has been widely known as a shipwreck treasure hunter since the 1980s.

Hatcher is believed to be an Australian national, but reports say he may hold both British and Australian passports.

His main area of operations is reportedly the Malacca Strait between Sumatra and Malaysia, Bangka-Belitung, Java, and in the South China Sea near Thailand.

According to Endro Soebekti Sadjiman, the coordinator of NGOs grouped in the National Assets Rescue Consortium, Hatcher’s latest operation was in Blanakan waters, Subang regency, West Java.

Endro said he believed Hatcher was after porcelain from the Ming dynasty.

“A porcelain plate or bowl from that era could fetch US$20,000. If there are thousands down there, just imagine the losses the state may suffer [if they’re stolen],” he said.

According to the consortium, Hatcher went to Blanakan following his recent discovery of the wreck of a Dutch ship named De Geldermalsen in East Bintan, Riau Islands, from which he recovered Chinese porcelain that was sold at auction in Amsterdam for $20 million.

“There are many other ‘Hatchers’,” Endro claimed.

Head of the National Committee of Excavation and Utilization of Valuable Objects from Sunken Ships at the ministry, Aji Sularso, said the joint team of investigators began hunting Hatcher two months ago.

The team comprises officers from the water police, Navy, police, and civil servant investigators from the Culture and Tourism Ministry.

“Hatcher is smart. He moves quickly and unpredictably if he thinks we’re on to him,” Aji told the Post.

The 2002 Cultural and Heritage Law stipulates that illegal treasure hunting is punishable by up to five years in prison and Rp 50 million ($5,500) in fine.

“Hatcher can also be charged under the Criminal Code on theft of state assets,” Aji said.

Aji said the government had identified 493 shipwreck sites across Indonesia, many of which have been looted.

“Most of the ships were Dutch, Chinese, and Portuguese which sank in the 1600s,” he said.

According to Aji, there are currently six companies permitted to salvage underwater treasure.

The law states that half of the haul’s proceeds belong to the state.

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