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Ear-for-Ear Justice for Statue Vandal?

By FEDERICO QUILODRAN,
AP
Posted: 2008-03-28 07:59:34
Filed Under: World News
SANTIAGO, Chile (March 27) - An ear for an ear?

The angry mayor of Easter Island said Thursday he wished the Finnish tourist accused of chipping an earlobe off an ancient Moai could have his ear clipped off as "justice" for damaging one of the world-famous statues.


Finnish tourist Marko Kulju, 26, issued a public apology through a Chilean newspaper on Thursday, saying he regretted the incident that has caused an uproar on the South Pacific island, a Chilean territory.

It was not clear whether Mayor Pedro Edmunds Paoa had read the published apology.

"If an ear is cut off, then an ear gets cut," Edmunds Paoa told Cooperative radio. "Eye for eye, tooth for tooth: That would be my form of justice."

In a letter published in the La Tercera daily newspaper, Kulju said he sincerely apologized, "particularly to the residents of Easter Island."

Authorities accused him of breaking the ear off a Moai on Sunday and trying to take a piece of it as a souvenir. The statue is one of 400 carved out of volcanic rock representing ancestors of island residents.

At the Finnish Embassy in Santiago, Consul Patricia Loflund said she was in contact with Kulju, who is expected to remain under house arrest at his hotel for 13 days before paying a fine.

"He's very down and regrets what he did," Loflund said. "It's very unlikely he will be given a prison sentence but we can't be sure, of course.

"He really didn't realize the magnitude of his actions," she said.

In the Finnish capital of Helsinki thousands of miles away, the chairman of a health club where Kulju regularly practiced fitness boxing said he was a responsible and well-liked person.

"We haven't had a single bad experience with him; quite the opposite," Eero Vsara told The Associated Press.

"We all make mistakes in our lives, and this was his mistake."

Associated Press writer Matti Huuhtanen contributed to this report from Helsinki, Finland.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
2008-03-27 15:40:55
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3253 comments

jamosef 10:18:41 AM Apr 02 2008

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Its so funny, to cut that ear off it must of taken him more then a day to do it! and know one else saw him cutting the ear off, know one said any thind to the police? that guy must have cool super powers! that stuiped rock is not small, it had to of taken weeks or months! He is very sneeky! Send him to iraq!

jazgatu 10:54:53 PM Mar 30 2008

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Marko Kulju, it is a sad act, whether through ignorance or stupidity.

curleyqlinke 02:36:01 PM Mar 30 2008

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Those things are hideous. Eyesores.lor should I say Earsores.lol
If they are so concerned about protecting them they should put up fences or enclosures like what was done for Plymouth Rock and stop their bitchin'.

whitey5442 10:34:08 AM Mar 30 2008

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what an idiot !!!

clean2020window 08:13:11 AM Mar 30 2008

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CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW???

prariwolf 09:38:18 PM Mar 29 2008

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While they're sawing off his ear, they should peek in and see if this jerk has any brains.

annedyth 08:42:14 PM Mar 29 2008

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Im appalled at this!
SHAME!

rarosen65 05:53:12 PM Mar 29 2008

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I think he should have his picture forever linked to the damage he did.

There is probably thousands of little pieces of those statues lying around on the ground there that would have been legal to pick up and take home.

When I was a kid my parents brought me a piece of marble from the same quarry used by Michelangelo and a small rock from the Aztec pyramids at Cichen Itza Mexico. Neither souvenir cost anything and broke no laws. This guy is just a jerk.

rarosen65 05:47:05 PM Mar 29 2008

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Well well it appears that Americans are not always the rudest tourists in world...

I hope Europe is embarassed as that continent's population is constantly making negative comments about the US citizens who visit their countries.

jaspdohertylaw 04:54:01 PM Mar 29 2008

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those freaking finns cause trouble wherever they go

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