Culture Minister Nipit Intarasombat said yesterday the abbot who had a toilet built in Ayutthaya's Prasat Nakhon Luang had no intention of showing disrespect or destroying the ancient site.
Nipit said the Fine Arts Department had a project to inform Buddhist monks to live appropriately with ancient sites, but admitted there were 8,000 ancient sites nationwide and it was difficult to cover them thoroughly.
He urged monks and public members to help protect ancient sites and alert the Fine Arts Department about anything inappropriate at the sites.
He said he was told that the Wat Nakhon Luang had already dismantled the controversial openair toilet. The abbot Phra Kru Kitti Panyawat, who was old and ailing, and many senior monks continued to perform monastic duties and the toilet was set up to temporarily accommodate them.
Nipit said he believed it was not intended to show disrespect or to destroy the site.