US to hand back ancient Thai treasures from Ban Chiang next week
Repatriation of 3,000-year-old items smuggled from UNESCO Heritage site will be accompanied by seminar marking International Day Against Trafficking in Cultural Property
A ceremony to repatriate 3,000-year-old artefacts looted from Ban Chiang, a UNESCO World Heritage site, will be held next week, according to UNESCO.
Hosted by the US embassy, UNESCO’s Bangkok office and the Fine Arts Department, the ceremony will see the precious artefacts handed over at the Itsara Winitchai Throne Hall of the National Museum in Bangkok on Thursday, November 14.
US Ambassador Robert F Godec and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Rafik Mansour will represent the US in delivering the artefacts to Culture Minister Sudawan Wangsuphakijkosol.
Overseeing the ceremony will be UNESCO’s regional director, Soohyun Kim.
Since 2009, a steady stream of smuggled Thai treasures discovered in US museum collections have been repatriated to Thailand. They include the 900-year-old “Golden Boy” statue, which was returned in May and displayed at the National Museum after spending three decades in the collection of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.
A seminar to mark the International Day Against Illicit Trafficking in Cultural Property will be held during Thursday’s repatriation ceremony.
Experts from the Homeland Security Investigations, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Royal Thai Police and Fine Arts Department will discuss challenges and collaborative solutions for artefact trafficking.
