Cambodia Celebrates Return of 70 Artifacts

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Manet celebrated the return of 70 cultural artifacts, symbolically reuniting the Cambodian people with their ancestral heritage. The artifacts, many looted during the Khmer Rouge regime, were displayed at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh. These items were repatriated through various means such as voluntary returns and legal proceedings, with significant contributions from private collectors and institutions like the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The returned artifacts include Hindu and Buddhist masterpieces from the Angkor period, notably stone statues depicting figures from the epics. Since 1996, a total of 1,098 artifacts have been returned to Cambodia. This repatriation trend is part of a broader global movement to restore looted cultural treasures to their countries of origin.