Vandalism at Phnom Roung Temple

Countrywide, vandals damage ancient monuments

May 20, 2008
By Bangkok Post Reporters

Ancient statues at the Phanom Rung stone temple ruins in Buri Ram have been badly damaged and the Shiva Linga stone has been moved off its plinth.

Dusit Thummaporn, chief of the Phanom Rung Historical Park in Chalerm Phrakiat district, said the heads of eleven statues of Nagas, mythical serpent-like animals, at the stairs to the ancient temple had been broken off.

The statue of the sacred cow of the Hindu god Shiva, two statues of Singha, a mythical lion-like beast, and the statue of the guardian deity at the entrance were also damaged.

In addition, the Shiva Linga stone, a symbol of Shiva, was moved off its plinth and placed in the middle of the main building of the temple. A glass of water and three cigarettes were found at the Naga stairs.

Deputy provincial police chief Wichai Sangprapai said the vandalism may be linked to conflicts among people looking after the ancient site. It could also be the work of mentally disturbed people or those who were disgruntled because they were not allowed to use the ancient site to perform rituals to bless Jatukarm amulets, Pol Col Wichai said.

Meanwhile, in Rayong's Klaeng district, the sculptured flute missing from the Phra Apaimanee statue was found at a rubbish dump yesterday. The flute disappeared in the early hours of Monday, causing outrage among locals.

The statue is in the memorial park built in honour of Sunthorn Phu (1786-1855), Thailand's great poet, who was declared a world poet by the United Nations Economic, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) in 1986.

Phra Apaimanee is a character from one of Sunthorn Phu's literary works, also titled Phra Apaimanee.

Klaeng district is believed to be the birthplace of Sunthorn Phu. A monument to the poet, along with statues of characters from his works, was erected there.

Ban Kram police station chief Pol LtCol Surapong Muenpaopong said the replica flute was in safe-keeping at the police station.

Witnesses said they saw two people riding a motorcycle around the memorial park before the flute disappeared.

In Ayutthaya, governor Preecha Kamolbutr feared that the thefts of ancient items in the province could affect the reputation of Thailand's old capital.

Rampant theft has triggered concern that Unesco may consider delisting Ayutthaya as a world heritage site.

Mr Preecha said the thieves were not average gangsters but ‘‘professionals'' skilled in stealing precious items and might have been paid to steal the artifacts.

It is a top priority for all agencies and local people to work together to combat the thieves, the governor said.

An urgent meeting would be held to work out measures to protect the ancient artifacts, he said.

Some details of the vandalism in Khmer Temple Phnom Roung in Buriram, Thailand

Superstition reigns

May 21, 2008
By Daily Xpress (Thailand)

Vandals destroy artefacts during raid to perform a superstitious ritual at Phanom Rung castle

Vandals invaded the historic Phanom Rung castle in Buri Ram early yesterday, destroyed a number of artefacts and mysteriously relocated a phallus in what looked like a superstitious ritual.

The phallus was moved one metre from its base and turned to face in a different direction. The mouths of 11 Naga King figures, two lion figures, and two hands of a guardian angel figure were damaged.

Strange spirituality

The vandals apparently performed some kind of a ritual inside the temple, but no other items were stolen, said culture office chief Somphong Wiriyakaru.

Candles and joss sticks were lit and left in the castle's main chamber, in addition to cigarette butts and plastic glasses. Phanom Rung historic park chief Dusit Thummaphorn said the damage resulted in some monetary loss, but the loss was tremendous in terms of historic value.

He said later that only two unspecified genuine artefacts were damaged, while the rest were replicas.

Dusit said the area had often been used by people who had their amulets or holy items "re-blessed" in various ceremonies, until he banned all rituals from being performed in the park site last October.

The ritual appeared to be a rite to apologise to the temple before the destruction began, although no one has specified a motive for the attack.

The genuine artefacts that were destroyed would be remoulded, Dusit said, adding the mouths on the figures were damaged because they were easy targets.

Various suspects

Muang Buri Ram police chief Pol Colonel Wichai Sangpraphai said the vandalism could have been due to internal conflicts within the historical park's organisation, from acts of mentally ill people, or by people who had lost benefit from the rituals being banned.

He specified a group of people who were banned from blessing the once popular Jatukham Ramathep amulets as prime suspects.

XTRA

Rich history

>> The Phanom Rung castle was built in the 15th [KI-Media: the actual date was 12th century] century by Hindu priests.

>> It was turned into a Buddhist shrine 300 hundred years later by King Jayavarman VII (1181-1206), who converted to Buddhism.

>> The castle, whose name means 'a large hill', was made from pink sandstone and stands 1,320 metres above sea level.

Ethnic Khmers not Thai temple vandals, says Cambodian official

May 23, 2008
DPA

Phnom Penh - Ethnic Khmers were unlikely suspects in the desecration of an ancient Hindu temple in Thailand earlier this week and the very insinuation showed a deep ignorance of Khmer culture, a senior Cambodian official said Friday.

Son Soubert, a member of the Cambodian Constitutional Council, said he was disappointed some Thais apparently suspected that ethnic Khmers would damage a temple for black magic rites.

He said Khmers were the original architects of the 10th century Phanom Rung temple.

He was responding to a report in the Thai English-language daily Bangkok Post published Thursday, in which police were quoted as saying the vandalization of Thailand's Phanom Rung temple may have been an occult ritual, also noting many ethnic Khmers lived there.

'The Khmers of Buri Ram and Surin provinces respect the Linga of Brahmanism because they believe if they desecrate it they cannot live in peace,' Soubert, a US and French-trained archeologist, said.

The provinces lie on the Thai-Cambodian border within Thailand and have a strong ethnic Khmer community.

Relations are already strained between some Cambodians and Thais over disputed lands around the sacred Preah Vihear border temple.

Cambodia has rejected Thai offers to co-manage the site and hired 22 Thai-Khmer speaking guards, who also act as guides, to protect it.

Phanom Rung's ancient Shiva Linga stone, which was in the centre of the temple, was found to have been moved off its plinth Tuesday and several statues badly vandalized.

Accusations have flown wildly over who may have damaged the temple and why, with allegations of guilt ranging from Khmer sorcerers to former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra being made.

Soubert begged Thailand to protect such sites more carefully.

'Thailand is a peaceful, developed country so it should be able to protect monuments - but I am not Thai,' he said.