Thailand welcomes back stolen artefacts after San Francisco forfeiture

[webfact]

The Bangkok National Museum holds a ceremony to celebrate the return of two ancient relics, believed to have been stolen from Thailand about 60 years ago, from the United States, in Bangkok, Thailand May 31, 2021. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand held a welcoming ceremony on Monday to mark the return of two ancient hand-carved artefacts that were stolen decades ago and smuggled out of the country to the United States.

 

The two 680 kg (1,500 lb) Khmer-style stone carvings had been on display at the Asian Arts Museum in San Francisco, which was required to forfeit them when a settlement was reached in February between the U.S. government and San Francisco authorities.

 

Thailand had informed the United States in 2017 that the lintels, which date back to the 10th and 11th century, had been stolen.

 

"Today is the day that they are finally returned to their home country and displayed here," Thai culture minister Itthiphol Kunplome said at the Bangkok ceremony.

 

The sandstone lintels were once parts of the structure of two religious sanctuaries in Thailand's northeast. The government will assess whether they can be returned to their original locations.

 

"This is a legal battle that has set an excellent example for the museums that still own Thai artefacts illegally because they know they will lose the case," said Tanongsak Hanwong, who located the artefacts and pushed for their return.

 

"Many museums have chosen to reach out to begin the return process instead of going into the legal process."

 

(Reporting by Jiraporn Kuhakan and Vorasit Satienlerk; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Giles Elgood)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-06-01

 

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[Justgrazing]

21 minutes ago, webfact said:

Thailand had informed the United States in 2017 that the lintels, which date back to the 10th and 11th century, had been stolen

 

Blimey only a 1000 yrs ago then .. was the police report carved on a stone tablet Flintstone style .. 

And are they saying the U S are the tealeafs cos' they've only been about for a couple of centuries so something's not adding up .. 

[Rampant Rabbit]

Now  about that Blue  Diamond?

[khunjeff]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Thailand held a welcoming ceremony on Monday to mark the return of two ancient hand-carved artefacts that were stolen decades ago and smuggled out of the country to the United States.

 

Pretty sure that most carving in the 11th century was done by hand, but let me Google that just to be sure ????

[clivebaxter]

As these are khmer artifacts you could argue the Thais stole them in the first place ????

[clivebaxter]

3 hours ago, Rampant Rabbit said:

Now  about that Blue  Diamond?

 

Not forgetting the Emerald Buddha 'taken' from Laos by the Thais

[ignis]

never hear anything about the return of Siam Gold

 

Ayutthaya Temple Stripped of Gold by Burma's Military/war lords in 1765

 

 

[JCauto]

2 hours ago, clivebaxter said:

As these are khmer artifacts you could argue the Thais stole them in the first place ????

Not really in this case - the temples were Khmer when the land was part of the Khmer Empire, but after that collapsed it became Thai land. So they inherited it, more or less. Fortunately, rather than tear them all down as foreign, the Thai adopted them as their own and pretended they belonged to the mythical "Lopburi" period of Thai history. Was quite amused to hear the convoluted and completely manufactured history of some of the carvings at the Jim Thompson House when I went there around 25 years ago.

[Patong2021]

2 hours ago, ignis said:

never hear anything about the return of Siam Gold

 

Ayutthaya Temple Stripped of Gold by Burma's Military/war lords in 1765

 

 

 It can be argued that the plunder of the past 50 years that Thailand has received in lumber,  endangered animals and trafficked humans more than offsets the value of the gold.

[Artisi]

7 hours ago, Justgrazing said:

 

Blimey only a 1000 yrs ago then .. was the police report carved on a stone tablet Flintstone style .. 

And are they saying the U S are the tealeafs cos' they've only been about for a couple of centuries so something's not adding up .. 

Reading comprehension might help to understand the comment ????

[Artisi]

2 hours ago, clivebaxter said:

 

Not forgetting the Emerald Buddha 'taken' from Laos by the Thais

But that's different, according to the Thai's ????

[Artisi]

2 hours ago, khunjeff said:

 

Pretty sure that most carving in the 11th century was done by hand, but let me Google that just to be sure ????

Can you please post your findings ????

[rwill]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

The government will assess whether they can be returned to their original locations.

Or better preserved in somebodies home.

[Mr Meeseeks]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

Thai culture minister Itthiphol Kunplome

Son of Kamnan Po. Thai cultcha innit.

 

Every part of the lintels’ journeys — from auction house to San Francisco museum, by steamship and truck — was surprisingly well documented.

But the provenance trail stopped there. No prior sales receipts nor stamped Thai export licenses show how the lintels came into the art dealers’ possession, never mind how they left Thailand.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-03-26/archaeologist-thai-artifacts-san-francisco-asian-art-museum

 

[trainman34014]

Fair exchange is no robbery; how about sending all the 'Ancient Relics' in Government House to America !

[timendres]

40 minutes ago, trainman34014 said:

Fair exchange is no robbery; how about sending all the 'Ancient Relics' in Government House to America !

 

We already have the most ancient relic.

[Artisi]

45 minutes ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

Son of Kamnan Po. Thai cultcha innit.

 

Every part of the lintels’ journeys — from auction house to San Francisco museum, by steamship and truck — was surprisingly well documented.

But the provenance trail stopped there. No prior sales receipts nor stamped Thai export licenses show how the lintels came into the art dealers’ possession, never mind how they left Thailand.

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-03-26/archaeologist-thai-artifacts-san-francisco-asian-art-museum

 

Didn't realise that brown envelopes would constitute legitimate ownership - either stamped or unstamped. 

[RobU]

On 5/31/2021 at 9:58 PM, Justgrazing said:

 

Blimey only a 1000 yrs ago then .. was the police report carved on a stone tablet Flintstone style .. 

And are they saying the U S are the tealeafs cos' they've only been about for a couple of centuries so something's not adding up .. 

According to BBC news the relics were appropriated from Thailand during the Vietnam war when Thailand was used for R&R by the Americans

[Mr Meeseeks]

On 6/1/2021 at 1:58 PM, Artisi said:

Didn't realise that brown envelopes would constitute legitimate ownership - either stamped or unstamped. 

I think there's a certain irony in the son of a convicted murderer and notorious mafia godfather figure being Thai culture minister.

[JCauto]

33 minutes ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

I think there's a certain irony in the son of a convicted murderer and notorious mafia godfather figure being Thai culture minister.

Irony? Or symmetry?

[Artisi]

1 hour ago, JCauto said:

Irony? Or symmetry?

How about just calling it what it is - corruption.