Tibet returns stolen idols to Nepal

Kathmandu - The Tibetan authorities Thursday returned 27 ancient idols and a miniature shrine stolen from a remote monastery in north-west Nepal. The return of the statues followed a decision of a Tibetan court recently to return the artifacts to their original location. The statues were brought to the Nepalese capital Kathmandu Thursday from Lhasa by a Nepalese government team. 'The idols and the shrine known as Chorten arrived in Kathmandu in good condition. They are now under police custody and will be handed over to proper authorities on Friday,' archeologist Prakash Darnal said.

According to Darnal, the idols were mainly of Buddha, Buddhist priests and sages. All the statues were between 600 and 800 years old. The statues were reported stolen by Tibetans from Yetser Jangchubling monastery in the remote Nepalese district of Dolpa, about 350 kilometres north-west of the capital Kathmandu, in 2005.