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 Representative Diego Ibanez told Reuters he had filed a petition
with the country's Inspector General over fears that excavation
work approved by regulators last month could cause irreparable
damage to the site, which lies within a national park.
"This is an affront to the law that regulates national parks in
Chile," Ibanez, a member of Chile's far-left Convergencia Social
party, said in a telephone interview. "We hope the Inspector
General declares it illegal."
At issue is a collection of jewels and silver and gold coins
that purportedly includes papal rings and Incan artefacts.
Treasure hunters speculate the loot was buried by Spanish sailor
Juan Esteban Ubilla y Echeverria on one of the three volcanic
islands that make up the Juan Fernandez archipelago 600
kilometers (372 miles) west of Chile's central coast.
Robinson Crusoe Island was so named because it was where
Scottish explorer Alexander Selkirk was marooned in the 18th
century, a tale documented by Daniel Defoe's novel, Robinson
Crusoe.
Said to be worth as much as $10 billion, it has been the subject
of an extensive, 20-year search by Dutch-American textiles
businessman Bernard Keiser.
In the petition, Ibanez said his concern is with bringing heavy
machinery into the 85-year-old national park and excavating the
island's volcanic soils and bedrock, among the unusual natural
features which initially prompted its protection.
He cited a prohibition in the park's management plan on
"removing or extracting soil ... rock, or earth," and said
government permits issued earlier this year violate this clause.
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"Keep in mind that they've been looking for this treasure for 20
years and still haven't found it," Ibanez said in the interview on
Wednesday.
"There's no indication that this new bedrock excavation is going to
bear fruit. We're talking about causing irreparable geological
damage. There is simply no justification for that."
An attorney for Bernard Keiser did not reply to requests for
comment.
Chile's CONAF forestry commission said in a statement released this
week that Keiser's latest request to excavate an area of 20 meters
by 20 meters (65.6 feet by 65.6 feet) was in keeping with Chilean
environmental law.
"CONAF's main concern is the conservation and protection of the
valuable natural and cultural resources in the state's protected
wild areas," it said. "Any type of intervention in this area will be
duly supervised with the utmost rigor."
Chile's heritage minister, Felipe Ward, said in an interview with
CNN Chile this week that he backed CONAF's decision.
"It makes sense to be able to rebut or confirm the existence of
these historical remains," he said. "This authorization has existed
for 20 years, so the criticism is a bit surprising."
(Reporting by Dave Sherwood and Aislinn Laing; Editing by Sandra
Maler)
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