In this two-part blog series, the AC returns to the question: How did Douglas Latchford—who for decades was a “one-man supply-and-demand” of cultural treasures looted from the Southeast Asian nation of Cambodia—first launch his criminal career? According to groundbreaking research, the answer lies in a little known case from 1960s Thailand. 

We sat down with international experts, whose recent investigations are shedding light on how Latchford built his criminal empire, long before his better-known operations in Cambodia. The Prakhon Chai Hoard—a collection of Buddhist bronze sculptures (7th–9th c. CE) looted from the Plai Bat II Temple complex in southeastern Thailand—represents one of the earliest chapters in Latchford’s long career of cultural racketeering.

The bronzes’ origin and path into Western museums and collections—long debated—are becoming clearer thanks to the extensive work of Dr. Tanongsak Hanwong and his research team, including Dr. Lalita Hanwong and Dr. Stephen A. Murphy. Their recently published findings about the Prakhon Chai Hoard case also reveal previously unknown details of Latchford’s criminal activity before his trafficking operations in Cambodia, where he relied on many of the same accomplices and smuggling techniques.

Following up on our recent discussion with Dr. Angela Chiu about the enduring consequences of this type of cultural plunder, the AC was pleased to speak with Dr. Tanongsak Hanwong,* an archaeologist and member of a Thai government committee for the repatriation of stolen artifacts, to discuss what this latest repatriation reveals about accountability in the art world—and what must come next. 

Learn more. Read Hanwong et al’s article, “The Prakhon Chai Hoard Debunked: Unravelling Six Decades of Myth, Misdirection, and Misidentification.”