CAMBODIA

the met returns 13 ARTEFACTS to cambodia

December 2023

On 15 December 2023, it was announced that the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is set to return 13 Khmer artefacts to Cambodia. These artefacts were all linked to the art dealer and collector Douglas Latchford, who was previously indicted in 2019 for orchestrating a multi-year scheme to sell looted Cambodian antiquities on the international art market.

Among the statutes being returned to the Kingdom of Cambodia are statutes from the Koh Ker archaeological site. The full list of the antiquities to be repatriated can be found on the Met’s website.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams stated: “My Office will continue to vigorously investigate the illegal trade in stolen antiquities. We urge those in this space, including cultural institutions, to be vigilant. And if you work at one of these institutions or for a private collection and have concerns that certain pieces may be tied to illicit trafficking, do the right thing: come forward and work with us on a voluntary basis to facilitate the return to the rightful owners. That is a far better outcome for you and your institution than if our investigation leads to a knock on your door. In other words, come see us before we come see you.”

Mr. Williams also thanked the Kingdom of Cambodia’s Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts for its partnership and assistance. Cambodia has been pressing the Met since 2021 for the return of the individual statues and sculptures it says were pillaged betwen 1970 and 2000. According to the Cambodian government, dozens of items in the museum’s collections were taken from the country illicitly from the 1970s onward during Cambodia’s decades of civil war and violent turmoil.

“The act of return is an act of healing for our nation,” Phoeurng Sackona, Cambodia’s minister of culture and fine arts, said in a statement, “We have many more treasures at the Met whose return we eagerly await.”

NOSTOS Strategies is advising Bradley J. Gordon and his team in Phnom Penh who represent Cambodia in the pursuit of its stolen treasures.

For further coverage, see The New York Times.