John G

I have read in my Dorling Kindersley EYEWITNESS TRAVEL GUIDE for Thailand that you must have papers to present at Customs if you take an image of Buddha out of the country. Is this a bureaucratic nightmare? What if I buy a Buddha in Cambodia, bring it into Thailand with me, then leave Thailand-- will I still have to have these papers? Experts please advise. Thanks.

xxx

How big of a Buddha are you talking about? If it's relatively small, you can probably just sneak it out. No one checked our luggage for Buddhas when we flew out of Bangkok.

Hanuman

The law is there to stop people smuggling Buddha images from the country. Many ancient sites have been destroyed by smugglers cutting of the head of Buddha statues and selling it in western countries. Both Cambodia and Thailand have similar laws. <BR><BR>If you respect the people and the religion I ask that you don't do this. I see a lot of pictures where westerners adorn their homes with Buddha statue not realizing that it is insulting or offensive to the people who worship the religion. Sort of like using a crucifix to hang your laundry!

John G

I am not using the Buddha to decorate my home. I am a Buddhist. I will not be buying an "antique" image of Buddha, but one recently made by a craftsman. I would never try to smuggle a piece of a nation's history out of the country.

Carla Otta

Im going to Thailand in October and I never heard about this law. I was doing research on my trip and I came across a reference to this law in the Fodor's Guide to Thailand. It stated that you had to have a "certificate of export" to take an "old" image of Buddha out to the country. Now, I ask you, what is considered "old"? This is a very interesting question.

kat

I am a western buddist as well, and I was so nervous at the airport because security was digging through people's luggage and i had a beautiful buddha & no papers. However, I was lucky enough that they only put my bag through the x-ray machine and no one said a word. just be careful. And for future reference for hanuman (...hindu? you should know this...) the goal is not to worship the buddha but to become the buddha.

Hanuman

Hello kat,<BR><BR>People in Thailand do think of the Buddha statues, figurines or anything of that type as holy and thus they do worship them. Every house has a Buddha and other figurines that they worship every day with offerings(food), incense, flowers, water etc.

John G

This still doesn't answer my question. Oh, where is Peter Hyatt Hadley when you need an answer???

Kathie

Let me try to answer your question. The export ban is on old or artistically or culturally signifigant Buddhas. If you buy a new carving or casting, there should be no problem. If you want to buy an older Buddha image, any reputable store can get the paperwork done for you. If you buy a Buddha in Cambodia, make sure you have a receipt specifying what it is. There are also laws against exporting old or culturally signifigant Buddha images from Cambodia. <BR><BR>I brought back a lovely stone carving of Tara from Cambodia for a friend. I passed through Thailand after acquiring the piece, but had no difficulty. I did have a receipt indicating that it was a new carving of a head of Tara, but was not asked for it.

John G

Thank you, thank you, thank you.....<BR>This is all I wanted to know. Some guide books, like Carla alludes to, say, "all images of Buddha," and some say, "old images of Buddha." This is all very confusing.<BR><BR>Again, thank you, Kathie.