Met to return ancient works of art looted from Thailand and Cambodia
Met to return ancient works of art looted from Thailand and Cambodia
Image source, US DOJBy Max MatzaBBC News
New York's Metropolitan Museum will return 16 ancient artworks to Thailand and Cambodia after determining they were illegally looted.
The repatriation was announced Friday by the museum and federal prosecutors in New York.
The artwork came from Douglas Latchford, a British art dealer accused in 2019 of “running a vast antiquities trafficking network” in South East Asia.
Prosecutors say the decision to return it was made voluntarily by the museum.
"As today's announcement demonstrated, evidence related to the Douglas Latchford investigation continues to come to light," said U.S. Homeland Security Special Agent Erin Keegan in a statement on Friday.
She added that the artwork "was shamelessly stolen."
Fourteen Khmer sculptures will be sent to Cambodia and two to Thailand.
The long struggle to return the country to Cambodia...
New York's Metropolitan Museum will return 16 ancient artworks to Thailand and Cambodia after determining they were illegally looted.
The repatriation was announced Friday by the museum and federal prosecutors in New York.
The artwork came from Douglas Latchford, a British art dealer accused in 2019 of “running a vast antiquities trafficking network” in South East Asia.
Prosecutors say the decision to return it was made voluntarily by the museum.
"As today's announcement demonstrated, evidence related to the Douglas Latchford investigation continues to come to light," said U.S. Homeland Security Special Agent Erin Keegan in a statement on Friday.
She added that the artwork "was shamelessly stolen."
Fourteen Khmer sculptures will be sent to Cambodia and two to Thailand.
The long struggle to return the country to Cambodia...
Image source, US DOJ
Image source, US DOJ
