Thailand has received 11 antiquities from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office in the second repatriation of Thai cultural objects from New York.
The handover took place at the Royal Thai Consulate General in New York on September 16, with Consul General Somjai Taphaopong receiving the objects on behalf of Thailand.
Matthew Bogdanos, chief of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office Antiquities Trafficking Unit, represented the US side.
The returned objects comprise five Buddha statues, one Ganesha statue, four ceramic vessels and one bronze spearhead.
Bogdanos said the repatriation reflected the global scale of antiquities trafficking and thanked the investigative team involved in identifying and prosecuting those connected to the trade in looted cultural objects.
Somjai thanked the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office for its cooperation with Thai officials throughout the repatriation process.
She said the return of the objects brought Thailand’s historical and cultural heritage back to the country while supporting the consulate’s work to protect Thailand’s national interests abroad.
The 11 antiquities were recovered during an investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office into the illegal looting, export and trafficking of cultural objects from several countries in South and Southeast Asia, including Thailand.
The objects were brought into New York and offered for sale through the gallery of Subhash Kapoor, an antiquities dealer prosecuted in connection with the trafficking of looted antiquities.
This is the second repatriation of Thai antiquities by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, following an earlier return in 2021.
A total of 24 antiquities valued at approximately US$675,000 have now been returned to Thailand through the two repatriations.
The repatriation is part of ongoing cooperation between Thai and US law enforcement agencies to protect cultural heritage and return objects illicitly removed from their countries of origin.
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