Cambodia Celebrates Return of Ancient Artifacts Reuniting Ancestral Heritage

Cambodia's prime minister celebrated the return of 70 precious artifacts, including important Hindu and Buddhist statues looted during periods of conflict. The celebration was held at the Peace Palace. The artifacts' return marks a surge in the repatriation of cultural treasures from museums and private collectors worldwide.

Cambodia's prime minister on Thursday led a celebration of the return of dozens of precious artifacts from museums and private collectors abroad, underscoring the government's commitment to reclaiming cultural heritage.

Hun Manet, who took office last year following his father's tenure, emphasized the importance of the 70 returned statues, which symbolically reconnect the Cambodian people with their ancestral heritage. The artifacts, displayed at the Peace Palace, were predominantly looted during the Khmer Rouge regime era in the 1970s.

In recent decades, there has been a trend of repatriating art and archaeological treasures taken from their homelands. This wave includes Cambodian artifacts alongside those from Syria, Iraq, and Nazi-occupied Europe. According to the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, the returned items this time are significant Hindu and Buddhist masterpieces from the Angkor period, with contributions from prominent collections.

The U.S. Embassy in Cambodia highlighted its role in facilitating the return of over 150 antiquities, marking a continued partnership in safeguarding Cambodia's cultural assets. However, despite these positive collaborative efforts, U.S.-Cambodia relations remain tense over issues of political repression and human rights.

(With inputs from agencies.)