Phnom Penh (VNA) – Cambodian authorities have received 74 cultural artifacts repatriated from the UK, marking a significant step in the country’s efforts to recover heritage looted in the past.
The items, unveiled at the National Museum in Phnom Penh at a ceremony attended by Deputy Prime Minister Hun Many on February 27, were returned under a 2020 agreement between the Cambodian Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and the family of late British collector Douglas Latchford, who had allegedly trafficked the objects abroad.
According to the ministry, the artifacts, dating from the pre-Angkorian era to the height of the Angkor Empire (the 9th–15th centuries) include sandstone sculptures, bronze works and ritual objects. The return is considered one of the most important restitutions of Khmer cultural heritage in recent years.
The ministry noted that the repatriation reflects Cambodia’s ongoing efforts to reclaim and preserve its cultural legacy for future generations, following similar returns in 2021 and 2023.
Many Cambodian antiquities were illegally removed during the civil war and the Pol Pot genocidal regime from the 1970s to the 1980s and later sold on the international art market. Latchford was indicted in the US in 2019 over alleged trafficking of looted artifacts but died in 2020 before facing trial.
Officials said the return of the artifacts symbolises both the country’s cultural recovery and the broader international trend toward the restitution of illegally exported heritage. Hun Many described the return as a source of “warmth and joy” for Cambodia in a time of peace./.
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Cambodia has five UNESCO-listed world heritage sites, namely the Angkor Archaeological Park, the Temple of Preah Vihear, the Temple Zone of Sambor Prei Kuk, the Koh Ker archaeological site, and the Cambodian Memorial Sites.
