THE HAGUE, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Netherlands said on Friday it will return to Indonesia a collection of more than 28,000 fossils gathered "unjustly" during the colonial era, which includes key specimens for understanding early human evolution.

The decision, based on the conclusion of an independent advisory committee that the fossils were acquired illegitimately during the colonial period, was formalized in a letter from Dutch Education, Culture and Science Minister Gouke Moes to his Indonesian counterpart Fadli Zon.

The collection, which were excavated in Indonesia in the late 19th century, is currently managed by the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden, the Netherlands. It includes a skullcap, a molar, and a thigh bone attributed to Homo erectus, a key species in the human evolutionary chain.

"The advice of the committee is based on extensive and careful research," Moes said in a statement. "We will work together with Naturalis and Indonesian partners with the same care to arrange the transfer properly."

The independent Commission on Colonial Collections advised unconditional restitution after its investigation concluded that the collection "never legitimately" became Dutch property.

It found that the circumstances of acquisition made it plausible the fossils were taken "against the will of the local population," to whom they held spiritual and economic significance, and that "coercion was used to identify excavation sites."

"This thorough advice has provided new legal insights, making restitution the right choice," said Marcel Beukeboom, general director of Naturalis. ■