Cambodia celebrates return of 70 looted artifacts from abroad

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) — Cambodia on Thursday celebrated the return of 70 stolen Khmer ancient artifacts to the Southeast Asian nation from abroad.
Recently, a total of 70 Khmer cultural objects have been repatriated to the kingdom through a range of different processes, including voluntary returns, negotiations, seizures, and legal proceedings, said a statement from the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts.
These artifacts have been returned from different collections such as from the Lindemann family, Jim Clark, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and other private collectors in the United States, the statement said.
Speaking at the event held at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said peace has provided a great opportunity for the country to return the souls of ancestors and precious treasures to their homeland.
“These cultural treasures, which are the legacy of our ancestors, were away from their homeland for many years due to war, theft, and illegal trade abroad,” he said. “These returned ancient artifacts are ‘priceless’ for the Cambodian people, who are the rightful owners of these cultural treasures.”
Hun Manet said since 1996 to date, Cambodia has reclaimed 1,098 looted antiquities from countries including the United States, France, Australia, Britain, Thailand, Japan, Indonesia, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, and Norway.
Cambodian Minister of Culture and Fine Arts Phoeurng Sackona said the recent return of these Khmer ancestors’ souls is the result of the great efforts of the government, in cooperation with all relevant partners, including public institutions, private sectors, national and international experts, as well as various countries.
She said amongst the returned Khmer cultural treasures, there are some important Hindu and Buddhist masterpieces from pre-Angkor and Angkor periods, especially priceless stone statues such as a mythical warrior from the Hindu epic Mahabharata, statues of Shiva and Uma, and a statue of Ardhanarishvara from the ancient capital of Koh Ker, as well as the bronze head of Lokeshvara, which has been reunited with its body at the National Museum of Phnom Penh after being separated for decades due to war and illicit trafficking.
“The Cambodian people are proud and filled with joy for the return of these national treasures representing our ancestral souls and identity, under the umbrella of peace and development,” she said. ■