Ancient shipwrecks waiting to be unearthed in Kedah

ALOR STAR: History is waiting to be unearthed at the Sungai Batu archaeological site in Kedah, and it will cost over RM100 million to realise that.
This is according to Universiti Sains Malaysia centre for global archaeological research director Prof Datuk Dr Mokhtar Saidin who said it would cost that much to raise five ancient ships researchers have found in an ancient river that flowed at the site thousands of years ago.
Mokhtar said at least RM25 million was needed to raise each vessel, a prohibitive cost as the work demands expertise and special equipment.
"Excavation under water is more difficult than on land. Special equipment is needed to suction soil and water; it is a delicate job as utmost care is necessary due to the factors of preservation and conversation," he said.
Last August, Bernama reported researchers found ancient ships, almost two years earlier, buried in a swampy and muddy area at the site where a deep and wide river flowed thousands of years ago.
In 2012, the researchers found the masts of the vessels and nails, he added.
He said more holistic data on the Sungai Batu civilisation would be included in the secondary school history syllabus, but it would take time. The data compilation began in 2007 following the discovery of the Sungai Batu archaeological site. — Bernama