Repatriating a centuries-old crown from the United States would only be possible by buying it from the Philadelphia Museum, which says it was obtained legitimately at an auction, a senior official said Thursday. Fine Arts Department director-general, Arak Sanghitkul said that as the museum reportedly bought the crown at an auction in 1972, the country must buy back the crown, if it can be proved that it originally came from Thailand. Arak said that, although the museum’s brochure states that the ancient crown comes from Wat Ratburana in Ayutthaya, negotiations to regain the crown are complicated, as there are many...
