The government of Malaysia's Malacca state has issued two permits for treasure hunters to search for a trove of gold bars and royal regalia.
There have been rumours for centuries that treasure is hidden in a cave on the tiny island of Pulau Nangka.
Local villagers say the hoard is protected by a curse. A small group of searchers is reported to have found the treasure about 30 years ago, and emerged from the cave in a trance-like state saying they had seen more than 80 chests of gold. They brought none of the treasure out of the cave.
