US art collector returns 12 Thai artefacts
An American collector has returned a dozen ancient Thai artefacts as the country pushes for the return of treasures taken abroad illegally.
Culture Minister Vira Rojpojchanarat said the artefacts were given by Katherine Ayers-Mannix to the Thai embassy in Washington, DC, which subsequently shipped them back to Thailand.
The items are believed to have mostly come from an ancient civilization dating back more than 4,000 years that was centred around Ban Chiang, in what is now the northeastern province of Udon Thani.
Mr Vira said Thailand is seeking the return of items taken illegally that are in museums across the United States.
Thai officials have been tracking artefacts such as nine ancient Buddhist relics on display at the Norton Simon Museum in California, as well as 17 other relics on display at the Honolulu Museum of Art in Hawaii. He said 14 out of the 17 items in Hawaii have been confirmed to have Thai origins, and that information has been forwarded to the US Department of Homeland Security as part of Thailand’s quest to have them returned.
Anandha Chuchoti, director-general of Thailand’s Fine Arts Department, said Thai officials are also providing evidence to prove that two ancient lintels on display
at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco were stolen from ancient temples in Thailand’s northeastern provinces of Buri Ram and Sa Kaeo.
“We want to send [information] to confirm that these lintels have Thai origins and were taken out of the kingdom illegally,” Ms Anandha said.