PHNOM PENH: Cambodia has welcomed the return of two looted Khmer antiquities from the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the MET) in New York, following the seizure by the Office of the Manhattan District Attorney of the two artefacts from the MET, said a press release from the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts on Thursday (June 10).
A formal ceremony marking the transfer of the two works took place at the Office of the Manhattan District Attorney in New York on Wednesday.
"This repatriation follows a significant milestone in December 2023, when the MET returned 14 Khmer artifacts to Cambodia after several years of negotiations," the press release said.
The two returned artefacts are a sandstone lintel depicting a kala motif from the pre-Angkorian period, dated to the seventh or eighth century, and a 10th-century Angkorian sandstone sculpture identified as the demon Hiranyakashipu originating from the temple of Prasat Chen at the Koh Ker archaeological site, it added.
The Antiquities Trafficking Unit of the Manhattan District Attorney's Office presented evidence to the MET tying both works to a trafficking network, the press release said, adding that after reviewing that evidence, the MET consented to the Manhattan District Attorney's repatriation of the two artefacts to Cambodia.
A lot of cultural properties were taken away from Cambodia for many years due to war, theft and illegal trade abroad. - Xinhua
