The mystery over a century-old vault found at a Nakhon Si Thammarat railway station continues after the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) put on hold plans to open it.
The 108-year-old safe was found on Monday at the station in Thung Song district. It sits inside a two-storey building that once was a branch of Siam Kammajol bank, the predecessor of Siam Commercial Bank. The railway agency took it over after the bank left, using it as a cargo centre.
Thung Song mayor Songchai Wongwatcharasamrong said on Thursday that the SRT decided to delay temporarily attempts to crack open the safe due to concerns that the vault could be damaged.
District officials and the SRT tried to open the vault earlier this week, but the locksmiths gave up after seeing the vintage mechanism.
The latest challenge went to Sitthisak Rooprasert and his team from Satun province. Checking the vault on Thursday, Mr Sitthisak was confident that his time could open it in three days for 25,000 baht.
The SRT then decided to hold off on any more attempts.
"We have to put on hold the opening after a request from the SRT, as it is their property," the mayor said.
The vault was found when municipal officials were checking the structure they hope to turn into a museum. The local government figures the renovation of the old bank building will cost about 15 million baht and take around five years.