Thailand held a welcoming ceremony last week to mark the return of two lintels that were stolen and smuggled out of the country to the United States. One of them was taken from Prasat Non Hong (above) during the Vietnam War.
The two 680 kg Khmer-style stone carvings had been on display at the Asian Arts Museum in San Francisco, which was required to forfeit them when a settlement was reached between the U.S. and Thai Governments.
When I first came to Thailand in the early eighties it was not uncommon to find lintels such as these scattered casually in Khmer temple grounds without a guard in sight. I thought at the time what easy pickings for unscrupulous dealers and unfortunately that happened.
Below is the lintel that belongs to Prasat Nong Hong
Prasat Nong Hong one of the lessor known Kymer temples in Buri Ram is located in a peaceful spot next to the Lam Nang Rong Dam. This temple is approximately 1,000 years old. If you visit you are very likely to be the only visitors.
I do hope the authorities return the lintel to the temple itself rather than to a museum. Now lets see if we can return the Elgin Marbles to the Greeks!
The Weary Traveller 