{"id":193748,"date":"2026-02-25T22:35:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T22:35:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/193748\/"},"modified":"2026-02-25T22:35:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T22:35:10","slug":"thai-antiquities-return-home-at-last-thanks-to-oc-fiduciarys-persistence-san-bernardino-sun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/193748\/","title":{"rendered":"Thai antiquities return home at last thanks to OC fiduciary\u2019s persistence \u2013 San Bernardino Sun"},"content":{"rendered":"

Before the formal ceremony began, Trevor Murphy collected himself. There he is, seated alone at a long table in Thailand\u2019s Office of National Museums in Bangkok. The ancient artifacts are neatly displayed to his left; the speech he\u2019s been waiting so long to deliver is on a sheet of paper before him.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is with deep respect for the history, artistry and spiritual heritage of the Kingdom of Thailand that I join you in marking the return of these precious Ban Chiang antiquities,\u201d Murphy, a fiduciary from Laguna Beach, told the assembled dignitaries on Tuesday, Feb. 24.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis moment reflects not only the restoration of cultural objects to their rightful home, but also the enduring spirit of cooperation, mutual respect and shared responsibility that unites us in preserving and repatriating Thailand\u2019s cultural heritage.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Trevor<\/p>\n

Trevor Murphy and the Thai antiquities before being packed and crated in Los Angeles for the trip home (Photo by Sarah Murphy)\n<\/p>\n

\"After<\/p>\n

After more than half a century in O.C., the Thai antiquities are carefully packed in Los Angeles for the trip back home to Thailand (Photo by Sarah Murphy)\n<\/p>\n

\"Thai<\/p>\n

Thai officials welcome the Ban Chiang antiquities home at a formal ceremony (Photo by Sarah Murphy)<\/p>\n

\"Trevor<\/p>\n

Trevor Murphy, left, shakes hands with Phnombootra Chandrajoti, director-general of the Thai Fine Arts Department (Photo by Sarah Murphy)<\/p>\n

\"Officials<\/p>\n

Officials examine the repatriated Thai antiquities (Photo by Sarah Murphy)<\/p>\n

\"After<\/p>\n

After more than half a century in O.C., the Thai antiquities are carefully packed in Los Angeles for the trip back home to Thailand (Photo by Sarah Murphy)\n<\/p>\n

\"After<\/p>\n

After more than half a century in O.C., the Thai antiquities are carefully packed in Los Angeles for the trip back home to Thailand (Photo by Sarah Murphy)\n<\/p>\n

\"After<\/p>\n

After more than half a century in O.C., the Thai antiquities are carefully packed in Los Angeles for the trip back home to Thailand (Photo by Sarah Murphy)\n<\/p>\n

\"After<\/p>\n

After more than half a century in O.C., the Thai antiquities are carefully packed in Los Angeles for the trip back home to Thailand (Photo by Sarah Murphy)\n<\/p>\n

Show Caption<\/p>\n

1 of 9<\/p>\n

Trevor Murphy and the Thai antiquities before being packed and crated in Los Angeles for the trip home (Photo by Sarah Murphy)\n<\/p>\n

Expand<\/a><\/p>\n

Then he explained how this collection of ancient pieces \u2014 dozens of clay pots and finely painted vases, beads of stone and glass, bronze bells and rattles, bracelets and necklaces, even a mold to make metal axe heads, a skill some archaeologists said didn\u2019t exist in Thailand 3,500 years ago \u2014 wound up in a U.S. serviceman\u2019s Orange County home for 50 years.<\/p>\n

The serviceman was stationed in Thailand during the Vietnam conflict in the early 1970s and became fascinated with antiquities, Murphy said. During his leave, he visited archaeological sites in northern Thailand, including Ban Chiang, and purchased pieces from antique stores in Bangkok. He shipped them home to his family, and his collection was lovingly displayed behind glass for the next half-century.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was definitely an enthusiast in this field,\u201d Murphy said. And he was also a man of integrity.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver time, it became clear to him that the highest and best course of action was to ensure these objects returned to the cultural landscape that gave them their meaning,\u201d Murphy continued.<\/p>\n

\u201cA couple of days before he died, he called me from his hospital bed. \u2026 He thanked me for agreeing to oversee his estate administration, he said he hoped he left everything in order for me, and then he asked me one more time if I would do everything in my authority to repatriate his collection of Ban Chiang back to Thailand. I told him that \u2018I am your man.\u2019 It was his last request, and the final conversation I had with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

As we\u2019ve chronicled for the last year-and-a-half,<\/a> this was no easy ask.<\/p>\n

Verboten<\/p>\n

Ban Chiang dates back to the Bronze Age some 3,500 years ago. UNESCO considers it the most important prehistoric settlement in Southeast Asia, fundamentally rewriting Southeast Asian prehistory. Excavations found evidence of settled farming, metalworking, animal domestication, pottery making and unique burial practices.<\/p>\n

It was not verboten to possess Ban Chiang pieces back in the 1970s. It is now.<\/p>\n

Murphy was bounced from office to office and government to government as he tried to clear a path forward; in the end \u2014 in addition to getting the pieces home \u2014 his efforts have changed the way the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations Unit and the Thai government handle some repatriation cases.<\/a><\/p>\n

When Murphy began this mission in 2024, the governments of the U.S. and Thailand had agreed that U.S. Homeland Security Investigations would probe all Thai antiquities cases for potential wrongdoing. They sought to thwart narco-smuggling and antiquities trafficking. So people contacting the Thai Embassy and\/or consulates asking to repatriate objects \u2014 people like Murphy \u2014 were referred to U.S. HSI for the full treatment.<\/p>\n

Now, officials have agreed that the full-on U.S. HSI treatment is probably not necessary for each and every repatriation request, especially for smaller collections such as this one. The Royal Thai Consulate will consult with Homeland Security and the Ministry of Culture back home; if the objects are innocent, so to speak, and truly from Thailand, they can be returned with fewer hurdles.<\/p>\n

\u2018Shared global responsibility\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cThese antiquities are significant cultural evidence created by our ancestors more than 2,000 years ago. Their return to Thailand represents an important\u00a0opportunity for further study, research, conservation and public display in the National Museums, where they will serve as a source of knowledge and inspiration for future generations,\u201d said Phnombootra Chandrajoti, director-general of the Fine Arts Department, according to an English translation of his remarks.<\/p>\n

Chandrajoti expressed his deep appreciation for Murphy\u2019s \u201cdedication and determination\u201d in fulfilling his late client\u2019s wishes, and for personally traveling to Thailand to present the artifacts.<\/p>\n

Nitaya Kanokmongkol, executive director of the Office of National Museums, Fine Arts Department, expressed her appreciation as well. \u201cThrough the cooperation of all parties involved, the 53 antiquities have now been successfully returned to Thailand,\u201d she said, according to the translation.<\/p>\n

There were smiles and handshakes and photos with officials, and the event was covered<\/a> by multiple<\/a> Thai news<\/a> agencies. Murphy thanked everyone from the Thai Fine Arts Department, Office of National Museums, Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as U.S. HSI, the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok, and the serviceman\u2019s family.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday is not simply the conclusion of a process,\u201d Murphy told the assembled dignitaries. \u201cMay the repatriation of these Ban Chiang antiquities stand as a symbol of respect \u2013 for Thailand\u2019s history, for the rule of law and for the shared global responsibility to safeguard cultural heritage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mission: Accomplished.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Before the formal ceremony began, Trevor Murphy collected himself. There he is, seated alone at a long table…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":193749,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[163,165,164,5282,6607,100],"class_list":{"0":"post-193748","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-anaheim","8":"tag-anaheim","9":"tag-anaheim-headlines","10":"tag-anaheim-news","11":"tag-arts","12":"tag-museum","13":"tag-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/193748","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=193748"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/193748\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/193749"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=193748"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=193748"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=193748"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}