Nguyen Dynasty throne - national treasure destroyed: Loophole in relic protection work?

The incident of a man successfully entering the area where the king's throne - a symbolic national treasure - is located at Thai Hoa Palace (Hue Imperial City), and then damaging the artifact, is causing public outrage and raising concerns about the gap in heritage protection in the place that needs the strictest monitoring mechanism in the complex of Hue Monuments.

On May 25, the Hue Monuments Conservation Center sent a report to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Department of Cultural Heritage and the Hue City People's Committee regarding the incident in which the national treasure - the Nguyen Dynasty throne located at Thai Hoa Palace (Hue Imperial City) was violated by a person showing signs of mental illness.

According to the report, the incident occurred at 11:55 am on May 24, at Thai Hoa Palace - a special palace in Hue Imperial City. After buying a ticket to visit Hue Imperial City, Ho Van Phuong Tam (born in 1983, residing in Huong Long Ward, Hue City) approached the area displaying the Nguyen Dynasty throne in Thai Hoa Palace, where a protective fence was installed and staff was stationed to check.

This person successfully entered the restricted area, sat on the throne, screamed and broke the left armrest of the treasure. The incident lasted for about 15 minutes. At 12:10, the subject was subdued by the authorities and handed over to Dong Ba ward police for handling.

This subject bypassed the relic guards to sneak into the throne area and violated the National Treasure. Screenshot

The area where the throne is located in Thai Hoa Palace is strictly protected, with many measures such as setting up fences, installing security cameras, and deploying security forces...

It is worth mentioning that at the time of the incident, there were two security guards on duty at Thai Hoa Palace. One guard discovered unusual signs of the subject and invited him to go to the back of the palace, but could not prevent him from returning and causing trouble. The security guards only approached from a distance, mainly to remind him and wait for support, because they were worried that the subject would act rashly and destroy more surrounding artifacts.

The incident of the king's throne being violated in broad daylight, at a newly restored, iconic monument that welcomes thousands of visitors every day, shows the inadequacy of the on-site protection mechanism.

The center said it had installed cameras, had security guards on duty at all times, and had strict control regulations, but in reality it was unable to prevent an individual with signs of psychosis from approaching and destroying the most important relic in the Hue Imperial Citadel.

A structure on the Nguyen Dynasty throne was damaged.

This incident raises concerns about the on-site response capabilities of security guards. Although they were present at the scene, they failed to intervene promptly and were unable to handle specific emergency situations involving tourists showing signs of unusual behavior.

The report shows that measures to set up fences, install cameras, and deploy security forces at Thai Hoa Palace are still being implemented. However, incidents still occur. This reality shows that without training in handling situations, the above measures may still be just a formality. Especially at places where national treasures are displayed, any small mistake can lead to great losses.

Immediately after the incident, the Hue Monuments Conservation Center said it had established a council to assess the condition of the artifacts and develop a plan for restoration and handling in accordance with the provisions of the Law on Cultural Heritage. At the same time, it will coordinate with experts to assess the extent of damage and propose appropriate preservation measures.

In addition, the center is also researching solutions to improve protection efficiency such as upgrading monitoring equipment, enhancing support tools for security forces, organizing training on response skills, detecting and handling unusual behaviors in the relic site.

However, experts believe that it is necessary to review the plans for arranging security personnel at key locations such as Thai Hoa Palace. In particular, it is necessary to develop specific emergency response procedures for security forces when encountering high-risk situations, including those showing signs of psychosis or abnormal behavior.

Periodic training in situation handling skills for security guards is also an urgent requirement. Monument protection forces need to be equipped with knowledge of behavioral psychology, legal intervention and closely coordinate with the police to be able to flexibly and effectively handle unexpected behaviors in practice.

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/ngai-vua-trieu-nguyen-bao-vat-quoc-gia-bi-pha-hong-lo-hong-cong-tac-bao-ve-di-tich-post288611.html