Two ancient bronze statues were returned to Thailand on Monday by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
The Fine Arts Department confirmed the two figures arrived in Bangkok and were in the customs and examination process. The two statues were with curators who were met by Thai counterparts.
The Office of National Museums said the two statues arrived at 7am and would later be taken to the Phra Nakhon National Museum. They would go on display on Wednesday at the museum, which is near Sanam Luang.
The Standing Shiva, known as the Golden Boy, has been dated back to the 11th century, and is 129 centimetres tall and gold-plated.
The other image is a kneeling woman, also dated from the 11th century. It is 43 centimetres tall and features gold and silver decoration.
The New York museum earlier removed the two statues from display after learning they were among art smuggled by Douglas Latchforn. The American antiques trader was charged with operating a major network that stole treasures from Southeast Asia in 2019.
The museum agreed last year to send them back to Thailand. The cost was met by the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
