TWO men in Banteay Meanchey province have been charged with smuggling ancient artefacts after attempting to cross into Thailand with statues of the Hindu deity Vishnu and the Buddhist bodhisattva Lokesvara. Banteay Meanchey provincial police chief Hun Hean said the men were charged yesterday after being arrested on Tuesday evening in Banteay Meanchey’s Thma Puok district. He identified the suspects as 42-year-old Each Sopheak and 24-year-old Kong Sarith, both of Banteay Meanchey’s Sisophon district, and said they had purchased the sculptures at a shop in Siem Reap province. Thma Puok district deputy police chief Chea Chhlong said the pair were arrested at the Boeung Krakuon border checkpoint, and that the artefacts had been taken to Banteay Meanchey provincial court as evidence.
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