A important victory was recorded within the battle in opposition to the illicit trafficking of cultural artefacts in Thailand with the apprehension of three people suspected to be key figures within the racket. The police, along side the Fine Arts Department, successfully conducted an operation which led to the arrest of those suspects and the restoration of about 1,000 historic artefacts.
The course of the investigation revealed a dual-structured operation with one group assigned to the excavation of these invaluable gadgets and another tasked with their sale. The artefacts, a group of bronze sculptures, tattoo kits, silver cash, cowrie shells and items of jewellery, a few of which date again over a thousand years, were sold to oblivious consumers by way of posts on Facebook.
The police, in a bid to verify the authenticity of these items, had gone undercover to buy some of the artefacts. These had been subsequently presented to the Fine Arts Department for verification. Once Freebie was confirmed that these have been indeed historical artefacts, arrest warrants were promptly issued. This led to raids being conducted at 9 areas throughout Chiang Mai, Lampang, Phayao and Sukhothai.
The three suspects now face charges of unlawful possession and sale of historical artefacts. The police, nonetheless, are not resting on their laurels because the investigation is still ongoing to unearth different people concerned in this unscrupulous trade.
Phanombut Chantharachot, the Director-General of the Fine Arts Department, has called on the common public to help in the fight towards this illicit commerce. He urges anybody who comes across any suspected historical artefacts to report to the Ministry of Culture or the Fine Arts Department. He assures that such people shall be rewarded with one-third of the artefact’s value after it has been verified.
Furthermore, the department might be working in partnership with the police to educate the general public on the importance of preserving Thailand’s cultural heritage and the laws in place to ensure its protection. This is a vital move aimed toward curbing the growing trend of illicit trade in historic artefacts and ensuring that Thailand’s wealthy historical past and culture are preserved for future generations.
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