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Published on February 20, 2008

About 50 calls flooded the Suan Kaew Foundation yesterday and five people rushed to profess themselves as the real owner of the Bt1 million in cash and personal possessions stashed inside a headboard donated to the foundation.

Phra Payom Kallayano, the revered abbot of the temple and founder of its foundation, will verify their claims by publicly questioning each of them tomorrow before deciding on who is the rightful owner, secretary Duangjai Thitayarak said.

The callers tried to get Duangjai to reveal details of the hidden treasures but she refused because Phra Payom ordered her not to.

"Some are angry and think the temple wants to keep the money and objects for itself," Duangjai said.

Since Phra Payom wants to return the assets to the real owner, those insisting that the assets are theirs must be able to provide the details themselves, she said.

In early 2006 the foundation found the money, the big gold necklace and a Buddha amulet inside the headboard and deposited the money in a bank account. On Monday, Phra Payom publicly announced that the assets would be donated to charity if its owner does not come forward to reclaim them within 30 days.

The temple asked for those who wanted to claim the belongings to view them at the temple on Makha Bucha Day tomorrow.

A couple came to the temple yesterday to inspect the assets as they were suspicious they might belong to them but the abbot was not there and the assets were kept in a bank.

Supachai Sinprasert

The Nation

Nonthaburi