The Battle to Reclaim Thailand’s Cultural Heritage

via BK Magazine, 15 May 2024: Academics and activists are working to repatriate Thailand’s ancient artifacts, including a notable 11th-century Shiva statue. This effort involves complex negotiations, international cooperation, and social media campaigns to bring back looted cultural treasures.

How an 11th century Shiva from Thailand came to sit on New York’s 5th Avenue is a complicated tale.

After being unearthed from Buri Ram near the Cambodian border more than 50 years ago, it fell into the hands of a controversial British antiquities dealer, Douglas Latchford. He made his home here in Bangkok and was a trader in Cambodian artifacts. The trader was given distinction by the Cambodian government—before his swift fall from grace for improper dealings and smuggling.

After Latchford’s death in 2020, Cambodia and Thailand began to lobby for around a hundred artifacts that had been sold to collectors and museums. More than seventy have been returned to Cambodia (which also claims provenance over the Golden Boy statue), but hundreds of other articles from Thailand’s rich history are waiting to come home from abroad.

Source: Looted, bought, lost—academics and activists work to repatriate Thailand’s ancient treasures | BK Magazine Online