Bangkok – Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha has thanked the US government and relevant agencies for their effort to bring missing artifacts back to Thailand.
A dozen pre-historic items were recently returned by a private collector Katherine Ayers-Mannix to the Thai Embassy in Washington, D.C., all of which have since been sent them back to Thailand. The artifacts, dating from more than 4,000 years ago, are believed to have come from the Ban Chiang archeological site in the northeastern province of Udon Thani.
Gen Prayut voiced his appreciation of the US government and Thai agencies, including the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their cooperation in achieving the return of the ancient items. Officials are also pursuing the repatriation of other Thai cultural possessions on display at museums overseas.
The Fine Arts Department is preparing to exhibit the recently-returned artifacts at the National Museum in Bangkok.
