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By ANDREA FILMER

GEORGE TOWN: American tourist Dr Edgar Arc, who was trapped in the Penang Museum after closing hours on Thursday, had mentally prepared himself to stay the night before he was rescued.

The senior citizen, who will turn 70 in October, said he had noticed a wedding bed display in the museum.

“I thought, I have a bed and pillows. Little did I know the museum does not open on Fridays so I would have been stuck inside for two days had someone not come to open the door,” Dr Arc said.

A life-saver: Dr Arc looking at a copy of INPenang.

It was reported that he was rescued by staff around 6pm after he made a call to the office of INPenang a tourism magazine he happened to be clutching.

Staff closed the museum doors at 5pm without realising there was someone still inside.

Dr Arc said he does not want to blame anyone over the incident, but must set the record straight.

“There was no warning bell signalling the closure of the museum, nor was there anyone who came around to inform people. I was on the ground floor around closing time and not in the toilet as reported,” he said.

Dr Arc, who works as an agricultural consultant and has a PhD in animal science, said he had called a hospital and the state police contingent headquarters after he realised his predicament.

“The hospital gave me the number of the police, but the officer who picked up could not understand me. He kept asking me for the address of the museum and I could not tell him the road name. In the end, I called the magazine’s office,” he said.

Dr Arc said he felt that the museum should come up with a standard operating procedure to ensure that this kind of incident does not recur.

“It is important to ensure no one is still inside before they close up. This is not only for the safety of visitors, but also the well-being of the institution. I could have easily been a thief,” Dr Arc said.

He also commended the museum for its selection of art and said he would be returning there next week to finish his tour. [News link]

Posted by admin on February 18, 2012 under Tourism News.