Superstition is proving more persuasive than the threat of jail for locals in Phatthalung, with rumours that a hoard of gold unearthed on a small farm last month is haunted helping to boost authorities’ efforts to recover the antiques.
The Fine Arts Department has admitted it has no idea how old the gold is - and indeed may never know - yet insists it is a national treasure that should be handed over to the state. But as efforts to trace the origins and value of the treasure prove challenging, some claim the department is helping spread the ghost stories in an effort to have potentially crucial evidence returned for testing.
It comes amid fears that evidence crucial to the dating process may have been lost during the initial frenzy that surrounded the mini gold rush in Khao Chai Son district late last month.
The rush was triggered when the new owner of a seven-rai land plot in Moo 7 decided to try his hand at farming palm trees. When he began tilling the land, the former used car salesman quite literally struck gold — just below the surface, a huge hoard of coins, ornaments and engraved golden sheets, all believed to be hundreds of years old.
Very superstitious: A villager returned this gold to the Fine Arts Department.
Locals were quick to learn of the discovery, and unable to resist the lure of an easy fortune, a crowd of hundreds soon assembled carrying an assortment of improvised mining equipment. Within two days, it is estimated that at least 18 million baht worth of gold had been collected.
As news of the gold rush spread, the Fine Arts Department stepped in to spoil the party, locking down the site and telling the villagers the gold was not theirs to keep.
Bangkok Post Sunday spoke with Anat Bamrungwong, director of Fine Arts Office 14 in Nakhon Si Thammarat, who is leading efforts to determine the gold’s origins and value.
He explained that the law considers any valuable item that does not have an owner a national treasure. That item automatically belongs to the state, not to the person who owns the land where it is found. “People who take these national treasures and hold onto them can face up to seven years in jail and fines of up to 700,000 baht,” he said.
He explained that while national treasures were found frequently, the Fine Arts Department is only rarely notified.
“By the time we know about it, the items are already in other countries via black market trading,” he said.
In this case, he said the department does not want to resort to legal action to seize the gold. “We want the villagers to give it back because it is the right thing to do. I want them to return it willingly,” Mr Anat said.
The locals have been offered compensation at one-third of the gold’s value. But Mr Anat points out that this might be a better deal than it initially sounds.
He recalls the case of a man in Nakhon Si Thammarat who found four gold Shiva statues. He sold the first two pieces at the standard market price for gold. But when the Fine Arts Department examined the remaining two pieces, they realised their true value as antique artefacts and offered him a price 30 times higher than market value.
Thammasart University history lecturer Pipad Krajaejun said it would be difficult to determine the age and value of the gold found in Phatthalung, since carbon dating cannot be used.
“In order to determine the age of the gold, the Fine Arts Department will need to find other evidence in the area, such as containers made from organic materials which the gold was kept in,” he said.
Finding that evidence might be easier said than done. Mr Pipad explained that when villagers dug up the gold, they likely threw away objects which they believed had no value. But seemingly mundane items, whether they be jars or beads, can in fact be far more valuable than precious metals. Testing on those items could also be used to determine the gold's age and true value.
In the meantime, however, stories of the golden hoard being haunted are helping make the department’s recovery effort a little bit easier.
More than a week after the initial find, many villagers are now returning the gold to officials, claiming a ghost had appeared telling them to hand it back.
Mr Pipad explained that the supernatural visions are most likely a product of guilt.
“Thai people have two main fears: the law and ghosts. When people break the law, they can simply pay the fine or go to jail. But ghosts can give them endless torment by haunting them for a long time,” he said.
Mr Pipad suggested the Fine Arts Department is trying to play with people’s minds by using their beliefs to send the message that they expect the gold to be returned. “Law enforcement can’t really scare them, but ghosts can,” he said.
Mr Anat, however, fears a budget shortage for the department’s investigation into the mystery of where the gold came from and that it will never be solved.
“I requested one million baht, but I only received half of that. We are encountering a lot of expenses, especially daily allowances for 30 soldiers who are assisting the 20 archaeologists at the site,” he said.