Govt fights for the return of artefacts

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Culture Ministry are working together to press for the return of artefacts on display at a museum in the US, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam says.

He admitted yesterday it would not be easy to bring the lintels back to the country.

“It would be a long fight. I am not sure if we could bring the lintels back to the country,” Mr Wissanu said.

His remarks were in response to a call made by Tanongsak Harnwong, leader of Samnuek 300 Ong conversation group, to the government in pressing for the return of three lintels from the Chong Moon Lee museum in San Francisco.

The three pieces are a pre-Angkorean lintel featuring Lord Yama or the “god of death”, originally from Nong Hong Temple, in Non Din Daeng district, Buri Ram; a lintel from Prasat Hin Phimai in Nakhon Ratchasima; and another lintel from Prasat Khao Lon in Sa Keo.

Mr Tanongsak said the pre-Angkorean lintel is made of white sandstone in the Kleang-Baphuon style and featured Lord Yama surrounded by flowers. It was believed to have been stolen from Nong Hong temple in Buri Ram’s Non Din Daeng district about 50 years ago.

He said the group obtained a photo of the lintel and compared it with one taken by the late archaeologist Manit Vallibhotama, who took the photo of the famous Vishnu reclining on the Serpent Ananta lintel at Phanom Rung sanctuary, and found the two were identical.

Mr Tanongsak said, the Chong Moon Museum said the lintel is from “Nong Hong temple, Buri Ram province” which is in the lower part of the Northeast.

Mr Manit said he took the two photos, among many others, during his exploratory trip of the Northeast and were included in his report in 1960.

It was Mr Manit’s photo of the Vishnu lintel that Thailand used as key evidence to prove the country’s ownership of the artefact.