Last Sunday, a MET representative delivered a letter from the museum's director to Thailand's Fine Arts Department, confirming the return decision. The "Golden Boy" was initially found at the Prasat Ban Yang archaeological site in Lahan Sai, Buri Ram, close to the Cambodia border.

The second artifact, a roughly 900-year-old bronze female figure posed in a traditional Thai greeting or 'wai,' was also set to be returned. Evidence suggests it was adorned with silver and gold. Both items were formerly owned by American art dealer Douglas Latchford, who faced legal action for illegal antiquities trade in 2019 and 2021, leading to their deaccession by The MET.

The Thai consul-general's office in New York is set to receive the statues.