The holy tooth relic, enshrined in a sacred miniature pagoda and protected by bulletproof glass, was carried by a highly-decorated flatbed truck to Thailand's Royal Airforce Airport at Bangkok early Saturday.

Escorted by four Chinese monks and several Thai officials, the relic received pious worship all along the 70-kilometer-long way to the airport.

"I got up at four o'clock to have a last look at the holy relic of Buddha's tooth," said a Thai man named Chen, who waited for the tooth relic early at the airport.

"The Buddha's tooth relic has witnessed and will promote the friendship of Thailand and China," said Thailand's Minister of Culture Uraiwan Thienthong at the airport before a ritual ceremony.

Thailand's royal members, chief of monks, several high officials such as the speaker of parliament and millions of Thai people had worshipped the relic since it arrived in Thailand 76 days before, said Uraiwan.

The relic, which was believed to be the tooth of the Sakyamuni Buddha (545-486 BC), was shipped to Thailand on Dec. 15 by the Chinese government to mark the 75th birthday of Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

Throughout the 76 days the relic had been on display, and about 70,000 people visited the complex each weekday, said Dr. Amnaj Buasiri, director of the Buddha Monthol, where the relic had been displayed.

Amnaj said visitors to the complex 50 kilometers west of Bangkok topped 120,000 at weekends, when many people drove far from other parts of Thailand to visit the relic.

"The Buddha's tooth relic has been worshipped and respected as in China during the 76 days when the relic was displayed in your beautiful country," said Yang Tongxiang, deputy director of China's State Administration of Religious Affairs.

Yang said the event revealed a vivid picture of the friendly relations between the two governments and the two people, adding that the bilateral relations will be further developed in the future.

An aircraft of Thailand's air force took off at Saturday morning, bringing the relic back China.

(Xinhua News Agency March 3, 2003)