Foreigner mails back stolen pieces of ancient Ayutthaya temple
A foreigner has sent three small pieces from an ancient Ayutthaya temple back to Thailand from abroad, along with a note asking officials to put them back as the thief “could not live in peace”, an official said on Saturday.
Panupong Paengkul, an official of the Ayutthaya office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, said he returned the three small concrete pieces to the Wat Mahatthat Temple on Saturday as they were believed to come from that ancient temple from the Ayutthaya capital era.
Panupong said the parcel has been mailed from abroad to the TAT head office with a hand-written note in Thai saying: “Please kindly return these three pieces to any temple in Ayutthaya. The person who took these away could not live in peace. Please return them to the owner.”
Panupong said it was not the first time that foreign tourists had returned pieces stolen from Ayutthaya historical sites.
He said several European and Asian tourists have mailed stolen pieces to TAT’s head office to be returned to the sites. Some had even returned them in person.
Panupong said the tourists had declined to recount details of their initial theft but apologised and promised never again to steal from historical sites.