The United States Embassy in Jakarta announced the return of two 8th-century bronze Buddha Avalokiteshvara statues stolen from Indonesia.
The US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York stated the statues were returned in a repatriation ceremony at the Indonesian Consulate General in New York on Friday, July 10, 2026. US Attorney Jay Clayton said the office thanked the collectors who voluntarily surrendered the items.
The bronze statues, measuring approximately 40.64 cm and 50.8 cm tall, were illegally taken from Indonesian archaeological sites decades ago. They were sold to Douglas Latchford in Bangkok before being sold to a US collector between 2003 and 2007.
The collector handed over a total of 34 Southeast Asian artifacts in late 2021, including the two statues from Indonesia. The return forms part of a civil forfeiture case numbered 22 Civ. 229 (JMF).
