via the US Embassy in Thailand, 25 June 2021: Official media release from the US Embassy in Thailand about the recent return of lintels to the country (see here and here).
The U.S. government welcomes the return of two 11th century stone lintels to Thailand, marking the end of a four-year effort on behalf of the United States and Thailand to bring these items home.
“These two lintels are visible symbols of Thai culture and history, and the United States government is proud to have fought for their return to Thailand,” said the U.S. Charge d’Affaires Michael Heath who represents the U.S. government at the handover ceremony today.
Presided over by Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam, the handover ceremony was made possible by close collaboration between the Thai and the U.S. governments, which partnered to seek the return of the two religiously significant lintels.
The cooperation officially kicked off in 2017 when a group of independent academics collected information about a number of overseas Thai antiquities and worked with the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Culture to establish a committee to repatriate these important artifacts. The committee agreed to pursue the return of the two lintels, originally from Prasat Nong Hong in Buri Ram and Prasat Khao Lon in Sa Kaeo, which were on display at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco.
Source: U.S. Welcomes the Return of Ancient Lintels | U.S. Embassy & Consulate in Thailand
