December 15, 2014 1:00 am
The Cambodian foreign ministry has instructed its embassy in Bangkok to
seek permission from Thai authorities to view and photograph those
objects, which may been taken out of the country legally or illegally.
The 50 items recovered from Pongpat's syndicate date back to ancient
Khmer, Lao, Myanmar, Ayutthaya and Rattanakosin kingdoms. Authorities
are tracing how the former Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) chief
acquired them.
Two weeks ago, the Cambodian embassy sent an official note to the
Foreign Ministry requesting to see the ancient objects but the Thai side
has not yet made any official response, a diplomat said.
Foreign Minister Tanasak Patimapagorn has already been informed about
the request and has assured Cambodian officials that he would explore
the possibility of allowing that.
Pongpat was arrested last month on lese majeste, corruption, misconduct, smuggling and racketeering-related charges.
In a series of raids, police discovered underground vaults at his home
containing valuables, including the art treasures, worth more than Bt2
billion.
Antiques cannot be possessed or owned by individuals without proof of import, Bowornwej said.
Of the items, 13 come under the department's Category 1 for deities and
Buddha images built in Khmer style, while the remaining 37 come under
Category 2 for Buddha images or Hindu deities created during different
kingdoms at different times.
The artefacts were formed from sandstone, wood or metal depending on the place and period of time.
About 100 items have been inspected and found to be imitations. There
are still more than 10,000 items pending identification and
authentication.
The Fine Arts Department estimates that the 50 items proved so far to be originals are valued at about Bt50 million.
The department will later coordinate with the rightful owners and
reunite them with their missing collections, the director has said, but a
Cambodia official said the embassy has not yet been contacted.
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