Surveillance cameras will be installed at
temples across the country to prevent Buddha images and artefacts being
stolen, the Supreme Patriarch's Secretary's Office says.
The move comes after several cases of thefts were reported at temples and archaeological sites in recent months.
His Holiness Somdet Phra Nyanasamvara, the Supreme Patriarch, had expressed concern over the theft of religious items and wanted closed-circuit cameras to be installed at the temples to safeguard the nation's heritage, said Phra Kru Sangkasitthikorn, of the Supreme Patriarch's Secretary's Office, yesterday.
Temples prone to theft such as Wat Thamtakoputthasopha in Lop Buri 's Tha Wung district, would be made a priority for installation, the monk said.
The budget for their purchase and installation would come partly from donations, which could be made at the Supreme Patriarch's Secretary's Office.
The surveillance cameras would also boost safety for Buddhist monks in the far South as monks and temples had become targets of insurgent attacks.
The Fine Arts Department's records show 47 religious items and artefacts have been stolen from temples this year.
