Cambodia welcomes return from abroad of centuries-old artifacts looted by notorious smuggling ring

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PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodian officials on Friday welcomed back more than six dozen centuries-old artifacts described as part of the country’s cultural heritage that had been looted during decades of war and instability.

At a ceremony attended by Deputy Prime Minister Hun Many, the 74 items were unveiled at the National Museum in Phnom Penh after their repatriation from the United Kingdom. The artifacts were returned under a 2020 agreement between the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and the family of the late Douglas Latchford, an art collector and dealer who is blamed for having had the items smuggled out of Cambodia.

“This substantial restitution represents one of the most important returns of Khmer cultural heritage in recent years, following major repatriations in 2021 and 2023 from the same collection,” said a statement from the Culture Ministry. “It marks a significant step forward in Cambodia’s continued efforts to recover, preserve, and restore its ancestral legacy for future generations.”

The artifacts were described as dating from the pre-Angkorian period through the height of the Angkor Empire, including “monumental sandstone sculptures, refined bronze works, and significant ritual objects.” The Angkor Empire, which extended from the ninth to the 15th century, is best known for the Angkor Wat archaeological site, the nation’s biggest tourist attraction.

Latchford was a prominent antiquities dealer who allegedly orchestrated a long-running scheme to sell looted Cambodian sculptures on the international market.

From 1970 to the 1980s, during Cambodia’s civil wars and the communist Khmer Rouge ’s brutal reign, organized looting networks sent artifacts to Latchford, who then sold them to Western collectors, dealers, and institutions. These pieces were often physically damaged, having been pried off temple walls or other structures by looters.

In 2019, Latchford was indicted in a New York federal court on charges including wire fraud and conspiracy, though he died in 2020 at age 88 before he could be extradited to face charges.

Cambodia, like neighboring Thailand, has benefited from a trend in recent decades involving the repatriation of art and archaeological treasures taken from their homelands. These include ancient Asian artworks as well as pieces lost or stolen during turmoil in places such as Syria, Iraq and Nazi-occupied Europe. New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the prominent institutions that has been returning illegally smuggled art, including to Cambodia.

“The ancient artifacts created and preserved by our ancestors are now being returned to Cambodia, bringing warmth and joy, following the country’s return to peace,” said Hun Many, who is the younger brother of Prime Minister Hun Manet.