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 | Wednesday, May 03, 2000, updated at 16:39(GMT+8) | ||||||||||||
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Sale of Looted Chinese Relics "Stupid", Leung saysA high-ranking Hong Kong SAR official said in Hong Kong that the statement by Sotheby's and Christie's to sell two looted Chinese relics in Hong Kong was a "commercial activities that could be more stupid"."When I read statements made by the auction houses that the auctions were commercial activities that could not be more stupid, " said Leung Chun-ying, convenor of the executive council Tuesday. "I believe the auction hurts very much the feelings of Hong Kong and Chinese people," Leung added. Leung said the antiques were not "ordinary national treasures", but relics lost during invasions by foreign forces in the most humiliating period in Chinese history. But he added that there was no need to legislate in Hong Kong to "protect commercial concerns from their own stupidity". "I don't expect commercial concerns to repeat their commercial stupidity. I don't think even from a commercial point of view it would do any of these commercial concerns any good, "Leung said. Clashes between protesters and police outside the auction venue. The protectors demanded the auction be stopped and the treasures returned to the Chinese mainland. Interests from Beiging spent more than 52 million HK dollars ( about US$6.66 million) on Sunday and Tuesday to buy four looted art treasures -- a hexagonal vase form the Qianlong period and three bronze heads of tiger, ox and monkey.
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