Return our 'stolen' crown, Thai thief begs US gallery

[emad]

Telegraph
By Sebastien Berger in Ayutthaya
(Filed: 13/03/2005)

A temple raider struggling with 50 years of guilt has admitted looting priceless Thai treasures in the hope that his confession will secure the return of a gold crown from an American museum.

Li Kasemsang, 78, has revealed that he was part of a gang that stripped 300lb of gold crowns, swords, jewellery and statues - some dating back to the 15th century - from one of the biggest temples in Ayutthaya, Thailand's ancient capital.

After the raid in 1957, only 20 per cent of the haul was recovered. The Thai authorities had no idea that an ornate gold crown which they believe could have been stolen was in the United States until it emerged last month at an exhibition in San Francisco. The Thai prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, is now fighting to get it back, plunging the exhibition into controversy and putting the crown at the heart of the latest fine art "custody battle".

The crown, which is owned by the Philadelphia Museum of Art, was listed in a catalogue for The Kingdom of Siam exhibition as "probably from the crypt of the main tower of Wat Ratchaburana, Ayutthaya" - the temple emptied by Mr Li and 20 accomplices.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/03/13/wthai13.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/03/13/ixworld.html

[Coventina]

1. This is a problem that is not going to go away

Elgin marbles anyone?

[bpilgrim]

2. check under bush's crib

it's probably right next to Saddam's pearl handled 45 :evilgrin:

peace

[bahrbearian]

3. I can see him prancing around the bedroom,

wearing the crown and brandishing the 45.

[SemperEadem]

4. RETURN THE CROWN TO THAILAND!!!!!

It was stolen. Theft is a sin and a crime, no matter what the justification. If we didn't make it or legally purchase it, it's not ours to possess.

We don't wear crowns in this country. We don't manufacture crowns here, therefore there is no reason for anyone from this country, to possess the crown of another country.

[BigBearJohn]

5. Return Thailand's treasure to them. It's the decent thing to do!