"Repatriation of 11 Thai Antiquities from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office to Thailand"

On 16 September 2026, the Royal Thai Consulate General in New York, in cooperation with the Antiquities Trafficking Unit of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, held a handover ceremony for 11 (eleven) Thai antiquities to be repatriated to the Government of Thailand at the Royal Thai Consulate General in New York. Ms. Somjai Taphaopong, Consul General of Thailand in New York, represented the Thai side in receiving the antiquities, while Colonel Matthew Bogdanos, Chief of the Antiquities Trafficking Unit, Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, represented the U.S. side in handing them over.

The 11 (eleven) antiquities comprise five Buddha statues, one Ganesha statue, four ceramic vessels, and one bronze spearhead. On the occasion, Colonel Matthew Bogdanos emphasizes that the breadth of these repatriations is a reminder of the global scope of antiquities trafficking. He also expressed his gratefulness for the continued dedication and commitment of the investigative team. None of this would be possible without the team’s extraordinary work, whose efforts played an important role in investigating and prosecuting those involved in the trafficking of antiquities.

Consul General Somjai expressed her appreciation to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office for its close cooperation and coordination with the Thai side throughout the process. She highlighted that these efforts have brought Thailand’s historical and cultural heritage back to Thailand, as well as supporting the Consulate General’s mission to safeguard and protect Thailand’s national interests abroad.

The 11 (eleven) antiquities were among the artifacts recovered by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office in its investigation into the illegal looting, exportation, and trafficking of antiquities from several countries in South and Southeast Asia, including Thailand. The artifacts were brought into New York and offered for sale through the gallery of Subhash Kapoor, an antiquities dealer who was prosecuted in connection with the trafficking of looted antiquities.

This marks the second repatriation of Thai antiquities by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office (the first repatriation was in 2021), bringing the total number of antiquities returned to Thailand through the two repatriations to 24 (twenty-four) items, with a combined value of approximately US$675,000. The repatriation has been the testament the continued cooperation between U.S. and Thai law enforcement authorities in protecting cultural heritage and facilitating the return of cultural objects to the country from which they were illicitly removed.