Over 500 pieces of ceramics, believed to be looted from the Ban Chiang archaeological site in Thailand have been returned to by the Bowers Museum in California.
‘Ban Chiang’ artefacts arrive from US
Bangkok Post, 02 September 2014
Thailand reclaims smuggled artefacts from California museum
The Hindu, 02 September 2014
The United States has sent 557 artefacts believed to be from the Ban Chiang archaeological site in Udon Thani province back to Thailand, but Thai authorities have yet to verify their origin.
Thai Rath newspaper on Tuesday quoted the Thai consul-general in Los Angeles, Jessada Katawathin, as saying that Bowers Museum in Santa Aana city of California sent the artefacts back by sea on Aug 23 and they reached Bangkok Port on Aug 30.
The shipment resulted from a non-prosecution agreement that the museum sealed with the United States Attorney General after US authorities found out the artefacts had been smuggled out of Thailand.
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