Cambodian religious officials dismayed at theft of ancient statue

Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa
September 27, 2006

Phnom Penh- The daring theft of a 13th-century bronze Buddha statue from one of Cambodia's most important pagodas was an attack on the nation's culture of Khmer Rouge proportions, the nation's most venerable Buddhist monk said Wednesday. Supreme Patriach Tep Vong said by telephone that the theft had robbed the country of an important piece of its heritage and was a direct attack on the Buddhist religion by the perpetrators.

"This act is like a political act. It attacks our culture like Pol Pot," he said in reference to the late leader of the ultra-Maoist Khmer Rouge regime, which attempted to eradicate religion during its 1975-1979 genocidal rule.

Chim Chour, the deputy head monk of Wat Botum Vatey pagoda, from where the statue of the sitting Buddha was taken, said the piece dated back to 1250 and weighed about 70 kilograms.

He said it had been housed in the main area of worship in the pagoda so the public had full access to view it during the day but that it was locked away at night.

The statue was stolen last week during celebrations for Pchum Ben, or the Festival of the Dead, he added, and so far, police had not come up with any leads although it was believed more than one person was involved in the theft because the weight of the statue.

"Someone cut the lock sometime after midnight and carried it off," Chour said. "This is a big loss for us."

Cambodian artifacts and antiques are worth huge sums of money overseas, and pagoda officials said they believed the thieves might try to smuggle the statue across the border to sell on the international art market.

Cambodian religious officials dismayed at theft of ancient statue.

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Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa
Published: Wednesday September 27, 2006

© 2006 DPA - Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa