Foreign museum tried to rent stolen items
Published on Feb 12, 2003
A new clue emerged yesterday in a series of thefts of old human skulls and rare preserved foetuses - including Siamese twins - from Siriraj Hospital, when it was revealed that a famous foreign museum contacted the hospital about renting some of its anatomical exhibits, police said yesterday.
The hospital never told police about this important clue in its previous complaints, said Lieutenant Sarawut Winaiprasert, who is in charge of two out of five complaints filed by Siriraj Hospital's Department of Anatomy, which runs the Congdon Anatomical Museum. The new information would be passed on to police investigation teams who are looking for additional suspects - one man has already been convicted - and trying to retrieve the stolen objects, Sarawut said. On Monday, a high-ranking official at the Congdon Museum was quoted as saying that a private foreign museum contacted the Congdon about renting a large number of the rare preserved foetuses and unborn Siamese twins, as well as some valuable old human skulls. The official reportedly believed the private museum should be considered a suspect, as it was unhappy about having its request to borrow certain items denied. One of these was a perfect specimen that had been on display at the museum since it was established in 1927, said the official, who asked not to be named. The skull was later stolen. Sarawut said one thief was caught red-handed in July 2002 stealing human skulls. The man was convicted and sentenced to two years and six months in jail, he said.
Just one day after the thief was arrested, the 1927 skull disappeared. The official attributed the additional disappearance to the museum's loose security system and a lack of awareness on the part of museum officials. In January this year, Siriraj filed three more complaints of thefts at Congdon involving two collections - one of rare foetuses and one of preserved unborn Siamese twins. In the wake of the series of thefts, the museum has tightened its security system, asking visitors to leave their bags in lockers provided at the entry gate. "I regret that those things have been stolen. They were very valuable not only for the museum but also for the country's education," said Poramintr Bumrungkhate, a science student who said he once had the chance to catch a glimpse of the stolen 1927 skull.
"Shame on the thieves and those selfish people behind the thefts," said another student.
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