Two suspects are shown at a press conference at the Provincial Police Region 4 yesterday.

They were accused of stealing 91 ancient treasures from Khon Kaen National Museum.

ANCIENT TREASURES

Student, amulet expert arrested over theft of 91 artefacts

By CHAYANONT PRANEET,

PAKAMARD JAICHALARD

THE NATION ON SUNDAY

Published on December 27, 2009

Items stolen from Khon Kaen National Museum early this month

A university student and an amulet expert were arrested for stealing 91 ancient treasures from Khon Kaen National Museum, police said yesterday.

Following the report of the theft, believed to have been conducted between the night of December 4 and the following morning, police had been looking for a man in his 20s captured by the museum's security camera.

The Fine Arts Department had offered a Bt200,000 cash reward for his arrest.

Most of the stolen artefacts were Buddha amulets from Maha Sarakham's Nadoon Pagoda that were unearthed in 1979.

They were said to have been made by royal craftsmen some 1,300 years ago.

Maj-General Santi Pensut, commissioner of Provincial Police Region 4, said 21-year-old student Mongkoldech Sunchan and Maha Sarakham-based amulet expert Pradit "Lek Nadoon" Pavaputa were nabbed along with 81 artefacts.

With help from visitors' cameras showing Mongkoldech at the museum that day, police matched the art major with the museum's security footage and learned that he was keen on talisman arts and had suddenly become rich lately, Santi said.

Mongkoldech was apprehended and a police search found dozens of the stolen artefacts in his apartment. The student then implicated Pradit as the buyer of 21 items for Bt130,000. The duo then confessed to the crime, Santi said.

Besides looking for the four artefacts that remained missing, police will now hunt for accomplices, as Mongkoldech initially claimed that he had the help of someone inside the museum.

Culture Minister Teera Slukpetch praised police for their hard work. He said anyone robbing registered artefacts would be punished by up to three years in prison and/or a Bt1 million fine.

He urged those who were in possession of the four items to return them to authorities.

The department has improved security at all 44 national museums in the country to prevent such looting in the future, he added.

-- The Nation 2009/12/27

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Reminds me of the incident that took place in Cambodia several years ago. Some sheisters wanted to steal a couple vintage water holders. They were the masonry large 'jars' with artwork on the outside. They got a p.u. truck, bought a couple plastic types, and went over to the wat and told the young monk there that they were replacing the old faulty jars with nice new ones. So happens, the 'old jars' were quite valuable.