A 36-year-old Australian has narrowly avoided jail in Cambodia for possessing three stone carvings illegally plucked from the famous temples at Angkor Wat. Steven Doyle from Sydney had been arrested and charged with trying to take culturally significant artifacts out of the country, three pieces of carved sandstone, allegedly taken from Angkor Wat and the nearby Bayon temple. Doyle's experience is a salutary caution to all travellers that "souvenirs" may not always be what they seem.

Police had alleged Doyle removed the stones from the temples and put them inside a bag to take back to his hotel. But a subsequent investigation has revealed he innocently purchased the pieces from a local vendor. Doyle pleaded that he was unaware it was illegal to take artifacts from Angkor Wat. He now faces a yet-to-be-determined fine rather than time in jail. Meanwhile the Cambodian authorities are holding his passport.

The south gate causeway at Angkor Wat

This incident serves as a warning for all travellers to exercise discretion when buying souvenir that might possibly be of cultural significance. This is not always easy to determine and becomes even more complicated in those countries where copies of genuine relics and artifacts are regularly sold quite openly, as is the case in both Cambodia and neighbouring Thailand.

A stone carving at Angkor, the sort of image that could be copied then sold as a souvenir

Another exquisite temple relief

Most countries have legislation protecting their national treasures and apply severe penalties applying to anyone breaking the law. It's what almost put Steven Doyle behind bars. So it pays to be aware of the law as it applies in each country you visit.

The inscrutable face of Angkor Wat

In Thailand, for instance, it's forbidden to take an antique Buddha image out of the country without first obtaining a special licence from the Department of Fine Arts. Of course, the ruling does not apply to those "souvenir" copies of Buddha images found in almost every Thai town market. But authentic, precious statues and other important artifacts do get stolen from temples and end up on the black market. Unless you are absolutely certain about what it is you are buying, then it's definitely a case of caveat emptor, ie: buyer beware. The best advice is to leave nothing but footprints, take only photographs.

Tourists at Ta Prohm, part of the Angkor complex