MELAKA, April 15 — The state government has warned treasure hunters against disturbing the site in Kota Syahbandar, Pulau Melaka here where pieces of wood believed from a merchant ship in the time of the Melaka Sultanate were found during an archaeological dig recently.

State Tourism, Heritage and Culture Committee chairman Datuk Muhammad Jailani Khamis said this was because the site was under the National Heritage Act and state’s jurisdiction and trespassers could be prosecuted.

“So, we ask these people (treasure hunters) not to enter the area. After all, it is dangerous to do any digging there and if anything happens, who wants to be held responsible?” he told reporters after opening the Ramadan Buffet in conjunction with the Melakan Visit Melaka campaign here Wednesday night.

On the discovery of the pieces of wood estimated to be more than 500 years, Muhammad Jailani said the state government had allocated RM100,000 as an emergency fund to enable excavation work to be carried out immediately.

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Other artefacts unearthed by archaeologists and researchers from the Department of National Heritage and the Melaka Museum Corporation (Perzim) at the site since the end of March were old coins, pottery and iron tool.

Meanwhile, Muhammad Jailani called on hotels offering Ramadan Buffet during this fasting month to fully comply with the standard operating procedures (SOP) to avoid any issues of non-compliance.

“After visiting (Ramadan Buffet at) two hotels over the past two days, I can see that they complied with the SOP… by having different entry and exit system, body temperature checks and MySejahtera Check-In QR Code.

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“So far, I’m satisfied. Just a minor improvement need to be made, such as in food serving and handling,” he added. — Bernama