Update, 18 March 2024: Yes, the controversial Gunung Padang paper has been retracted.
via Tempo, 01 February 2024: This opinion piece from Tempo seems to suggest that the controversial Gunung Padang paper has been retracted, but a quick check as of 04 Feb indicates that that paper is still up and running.
Despite their research being supported by advanced technology, it is important to remember that any scientist’s interpretation of the data could be erroneous. The conclusion that there is a man-made space in the bowels of Gunung Padang has not been tested. Moreover, to date, no artifacts have been found inside Gunung Padang.
A number of volcanologists have even concluded that Gunung Padang is the youngest lava plug or dome that has formed in an ancient volcanic crater over thousands of years. They also argue that the cavity inside the former ancient volcano is something natural.
Harry Truman Simanjuntak, a prehistoric archaeologist, also rejected the idea of a man-made space inside Gunung Padang. He argued that the ancestors of the Indonesian archipelago did not make underground buildings for daily life or sacred rituals. They used natural caves when they needed a closed space.
