US Prosecutors in New York Return Two 8th-Century Buddha Statues to Indonesia

The United States Attorney’s Office has announced the return of two stolen bronze artefacts to Indonesia following the conclusion of a case in New York. “We will continue to work with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) to stop unscrupulous actors who seek to profit from historic works of art,” said US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, in a press release from the embassy in Jakarta on Friday (10/7/2026). Clayton stated that his office is grateful to the collectors of these works for their willingness to return the objects safely. He also noted that it is a source of pride for them to be able to repatriate the works of art to their homeland. “The Office is fully committed to eradicating the illicit trade in stolen and looted works of art and antiquities,” Clayton said. The antiquities were officially returned to Indonesia during a repatriation ceremony at the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia in New York on Friday. They consist of two bronze statues of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara in a standing position, dating from the 8th century. The statues measure approximately 16 and 20 inches in height (around 40.64 cm and 50.8 cm), respectively. The artefacts were illegally removed from archaeological sites in Indonesia by a group of looters several decades ago. They were subsequently sold to Latchford, a dealer based in Bangkok, Thailand. Latchford sold these historic objects, along with other Southeast Asian antiquities, to American collectors between 2003 and 2007, attempting to conceal the fact that the items were stolen. Around the end of 2021, the collectors voluntarily surrendered a total of 34 antiquities originating from Cambodia and other Southeast Asian countries that had been purchased from Latchford. Among these 34 objects were the two bronze statues from Indonesia.