M'sia can be a hub for carbon dating analysis in Asean region

SUNGAI PETANI: Malaysia can be a regional hub for carbon dating analysis for archaeology artefacts if it is able to build a high quality radiocarbon dating laboratory, according to experts.
Lecturer in Archaeological Studies at Silpakorn University, Thailand, Dr. Pira Venunan said building a carbon dating laboratory for archaeological research would be a viable option for Malaysia.
"You now have the earliest (historical) site in the region and so far, that is a new crucial insight for the development of the civilisation in Southeast Asia. If you can have your own carbon dating laboratory, you will have a lot of work to do.
"Not only you analyse artefacts from within Malaysia, but also from other countries in the region. Instead of sending our artefacts to China, Australia or the United States, we can send our artefacts to you and it will be much cheaper," he told Bernama on the sidelines of the Kedah Tua International Conference here.
The two-day conference ending today highlighted not only the Kedah Tua or Old Kedah civilisation and its significance in Southeast Asia, but also discussed global archaeology.
According to Pira, the date of artefacts is one of the crucial information in the field of archaeology as it can help to link the artefacts to human history, which can be dated back to as early as 100,000 years ago.
"If we do not know the dates, we cannot link the artefacts to human history and looking at Asean in general, we have new archaeological evidences found everyday. So yes, we do need a carbon dating laboratory here in the region," he added.
Sharing similar views as Pira, Universitas Indonesia's archaeological expert Professor Agus Aris Munandar said Malaysia must have a carbon dating laboratory for carbon dating analysis so that neighbouring Asean countries can use it as a hub to process their artefacts.
"For an archaeologist, the important thing is to get the decision on chronology. If we can get the chronological information about an artefact or a site, it will be easier to continue the research.
"In Indonesia, we have a simple carbon dating machine but not a very good one. If Malaysia has its own carbon dating laboratory, perhaps Indonesia can do the carbon dating analysis here and this can be a good platform to strengthen both nations' friendship," he said.
Meanwhile, Universiti Sains Malaysia's Director of Centre for Global Archaeological Research, Professor Datuk Dr Mokhtar Saidin on his part said it is imperative to have these scientific laboratories if Malaysia wished to be at par with developed nations.
"Malaysia has yet to have a radiocarbon dating laboratory and experts in the field of carbon dating. Without these kind of laboratories, we will not be able to produce human capital who are experts in this field.
"This could be a huge loss to our country as we have a lot of archaeological sites, with excavation works and research still ongoing," he noted.
Explaining further on the matter, Mokhtar said because there are no radiocarbon experts and laboratories in the country, the learning modules at universities for archaeological studies are only delivered theoretically. — Bernama