The 129-centimetre statue, known as the Golden Boy and thought to depict the Hindu god Shiva, along with a smaller statue of a kneeling woman, arrived at Suvarnabhumi International Airport on May 20, 2024. These artefacts were subsequently transported to the National Museum Bangkok, where an official ceremony will be held to mark their return before they are displayed to the public.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art decided to return the two artefacts following an investigation that confirmed their link to Douglas Latchford, who was charged in 2019 for orchestrating a significant network that trafficked stolen treasures from Southeast Asia. The Golden Boy, believed to have been crafted over 900 years ago, was illicitly taken from Thailand by Latchford in 1975. According to Latchford’s publications, “Khmer Bronzes” and “Khmer Gold,” the statue was discovered in Ban Yang Pongsadao village in the Ta Chong Subdistrict of Buri Ram’s Lahan Sai district.
The Golden Boy was part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection from 1988 until its return in 2023. The true identity of the statue remains a subject of scholarly debate.
Notable officials and dignitaries were present at Suvarnabhumi International Airport to receive the artefacts, highlighting the significance of their return to Thailand.
