TWENTY-EIGHT stolen Cambodian cultural artefacts will be returned to the country after a private collector voluntarily returned them to United States authorities recently.
According to the Cambodian Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, the artefacts include a large Ganesha statue believed to have been removed only two decades ago from Prasat Bak temple within the Koh Ker temple complex in Preah Vihear province.
According to a recent Phnom Penh Post report, the ministry and the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) have announced plans for the return of 28 looted artefacts in the near future.
All of the artefacts were purchased from or linked to the controversial antiquities dealer Douglas Latchford, who was under indictment in the US for trafficking in stolen antiquities prior to his death in 2020.
Latchford's daughter subsequently agreed to return all of the Cambodian antiquities she then inherited from her father's estate.
The culture ministry said the SDNY and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) filed a civil forfeiture action against the private collector regarding 28 Cambodian cultural artefacts the US government had seized.
"This sculpture of Ganesha is another astonishing example of the brilliance of our ancestors.
Ganesha, the Hindu god with an elephant's head, is widely known for his wisdom and power to overcome obstacles and its return home will be a momentous occasion for Cambodia," said culture minister Phoeurng Sackona.
The Koh Ker Ganesha is listed by The Antiquities Coalition as one of the top 10 "most wanted" looted statues in the world.
Sackona said some of the other statues in the collection are a sandstone Buddha sculpture from the 7th-8th century, a 10th century Hindu god Vishnu and a 10th century bronze image of the Hindu goddess Lakshmi.
"We are thrilled that this major private collector agreed to cooperate with US authorities and return such a large collection of statues acquired from the late collector/dealer Douglas A J Latchford," Sackona said.
According to a SDNY statement released by the US embassy in Cambodia, the 28 Cambodian pieces were among a total of 35 cultural properties seized, along with seven others belonging to other countries such as India, Myanmar and Thailand.