Valuable relics lost in Mae Sariang blaze
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YUAM TAI Mayor Sati Sapthaweephan yesterday called for the Mae Sariang Museum on the Myanmar border in the far northwest to be rebuilt after a fire gutted it yesterday and destroyed hugely important artefacts.
Sati said the damage bill was expected to be at least Bt30 million.
Some of the antiques had extreme sentimental value for Mae Sariang people, Sati said, especially a marble Buddha image from Myanmar and Jong Para, a castle made of wood that was at least 200 years old.
The century-old Poy Sang Long suit contained a great number of historical and ethnic antiques.
Yuam Tai Municipality and relevant agencies must recovery the salvageable items from the ruins and reconstruct the museum to restore Mae Hong Son residents’ peace of mind, Sati said.
Colonel Jak On Nim, superintendent of Mae Sariang Police Station, said police wanted concrete proof of what caused the fire before saying anything due to the large damage bill and public sensitivity surrounding the incident. But it has been speculated that an electrical short circuit caused the blaze, as preparations were being made for Ok Wa, the end of Buddhist lent, on October 25.
