Thailand Lists Dinosaur Bones As National Property

Thailand lists dinosaur bones as national property

BANGKOK: -- Anyone caught taking dinosaur bones out of Thailand without permission from the Fine Arts Department will henceforth face up to seven years in jail or a 700,000-baht (20,000- dollar) fine, media reports said Saturday.

Fine Arts Department director general Arak Sanghitkul said the stiff penalties follow a recent ruling by the Council of State that dinosaur bones, at least those found in Thailand, are national property, The Nation newspaper reported.

Arak said he had sought the ruling after seeing many researchers taking dinosaur bones out of the country for foreign exhibitions.

Thailand has several sites where dinosaur bones have been discovered. In the past, the fossils have been subject to mass pilfering by local residents who use them as lucky charms or sell them to collectors.

-- DPA 2007-02-17