Cambodia’s Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts says 20 Khmer antiquities have been returned from a private collection in Asia, describing the recovery as part of its work to preserve cultural heritage for future generations.
According to the ministry’s April 6 announcement, the research team conducted negotiations with assistance from advisers. Those involved included Imran Hamid Khwaja, an international litigation lawyer and partner at the long-established Singapore firm Tan Rajah & Cheah, and Bradley J. Gordon of Edenbridge Asia.
The returned objects include sandstone and bronze works. Among them are Bayon-period sculptures believed to have originated at Angkor Thom. The ministry described the objects, in cultural terms, as living witnesses to civilisation and expressions of its spirit that would deepen understanding of Cambodian history.
The ministry presented the return as a matter of heritage justice and the homecoming of ancestral culture, expressing joy at that homecoming and stressing national unity and the responsibility to protect both Cambodia’s heritage and the shared heritage of humanity.
It called on museums and private collectors to contact the professional team and pursue dialogue over returns.
Writer: ង៉ែត ពិសាន្ត.
