Prime Minister Hun Manet presided over a repatriation ceremony for 56 looted antiquities from abroad this morning at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh.

He noted that from 1996 to July of this year, Cambodia welcomed a total of 1,098 antiquities and jewellery items back to their rightful home in the Kingdom. At present, 76 precious pieces of the Cambodian people’s precious pieces of cultural heritage are being prepared for repatriation from the UK family of Douglas Latchford, a notorious looter and dealer who passed away in 2020 while awaiting trial for his activities.

While addressing this morning’s August 22 ceremony, the prime minister explained that of the 1,098 items, 571 were returned by donors, while 527 were handed over from the museums and state collections of 15 different countries, particularly the US and UK, where many Khmer heritage items were previously held.

US Embassy to Cambodia Chargé d’Affaires Bridgette Walker attended the ceremony.

“The US is a committed and reliable partner for protecting the cultural heritage of Cambodia,” she said.

“Returning looted artefacts to their rightful home is the right thing to do,” she added.

According to an August 22 statement by the US embassy, as of today, the US embassy has facilitated the return of over 150 antiquities, including statues of the Hindu elephant god Ganesh statue and the 10th century “Skanda on a Peacock”, both of which are on display at the National Museum of Cambodia.

“These returns are possible under the bilateral cultural property memorandum of understanding, which both countries renewed in August 2023 for an additional five years,” the statement explained.

“Since signing the first agreement in 2003, the US has helped train heritage protection professionals, prevented pillaging of antiquities and facilitated the return of looted artifacts from private collections and galleries throughout the US,” it added.

The US has also invested 4 million in cultural preservation through the “Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation” and other projects. This including restoration work at the 9th century temples of Phnom Bakheng in Angkor Archaeological Park and Preah Vihear in northern Cambodia.

Minister of Culture and Fine Arts Phoeurng Sackona added that between 2021 and 2024, Cambodia welcomed 297 antiquities and jewellery pieces from abroad, including 183 items from the family of Latchford and 114 from friendly nations and museums.

Manet declared that the successful repatriations are due to the peace, stability, and national unity which Cambodia now enjoys, noting that this has made it possible for many sacred images of deities to return to their homeland.

“Without peace, our foreign friends would not have cooperated to help these antiquities return to Cambodia, because they also have a duty to protect heritage. They certainly would not be able to send valuable heritage items to a country in a state of war, insecurity or turmoil,” he said.

He urged all countries, museums, private collectors and donors to cooperate in returning valuable Khmer antiquities to their rightful home in Cambodia.