Finnish tourist damages Easter Island statue

The authorities on Easter Island have arrested a Finnish tourist who allegedly damaged one of the island's famous moai stone statues. An island resident said she saw the man taking a piece of an earlobe which he had broken off.

If found guilty of damaging the Easter Island, the tourist could face up to seven years in jail and a fine of 12,000 euros.

Easter Island is situated in the Pacific and belongs to Chile. There are nearly 900 moai statues on Easter Island, some of them more than 10 metres tall.

The statues were erected by the island's Polynesian inhabitants hundreds of years ago to honour their ancestors. The Rapa Nui National Park on Easter Island, where the moai are situated, became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995.

Source: By Radio Netherlands

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Posted March 26th, 2008 by admin_huliq

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