Banteay Meanchey military police have discovered 21 stones stolen from the ancient temple of Banteay Chhmar and buried in a field, police said Sunday.
The two tons of stones apparently were being hidden until they could be sold, said Roth Sreang, provincial military police chief. Numbers had been drawn on the stones so they could be put back in order by a buyer, he said.
Villagers in Sras Chray village, Banteay Chhmar commune, Thma Puok district, tipped off police, who dug out the stones Friday, he said. “We are always concerned about people selling the ancient statues in this area,” he said. “After people suspected this area had old statues, we went there and found these things. But we don’t know how long ago they buried them.”
Police received a tip that the thief has died, but they are still seeking suspects, he said. There have been no arrests. The stones were taken from the wall of Banteay Chhmar, built in the 12th century, said Heng Tim, director of the province’s Department of Culture.
The stones come from a temple wall that shows scenes from everyday life, Heng Tim said. They include such tableaux as children walking behind oxcarts and a customary punishment at the time for unmarried women who became pregnant: The woman lies on the ground as a man steps on her stomach.
The stones are being kept at military police headquarters because there is no room for them at the provincial culture department, Heng Tim said. Earlier this month, Banteay Meanchey military police recovered 700 ancient objects, allegedly on their way to be sold abroad, from five houses.
In 1998 and early 1999, Banteay Chhmar was the subject of looting by thieves, many of whom were reported to be soldiers who were smuggling parts of the temple into Thailand. The reports prompted international outrage and requests by King Norodom Sihanouk for a government crackdown on artifact smuggling.
