Some of the antiquities had been stolen from the temples of Angkor, such as the temple of Angkor Wat (pictured April 2022) in Cambodia.
New York (AFP) – The United States on Monday returned 30 stolen works of art and antiquities to Cambodia that had been looted from the southeast Asian nation, including from an ancient Khmer city, and illegally trafficked around the world for decades.
Manhattan federal prosecutor Damian Williams officially handed over the looted antiquities to Cambodia's ambassador to the United States, Keo Chhea, in front of press.
"We celebrate the return of Cambodia's cultural heritage to the Cambodian people, and reaffirm our commitment to reducing the illicit trafficking of art and antiquities," Williams said.
One of the dealers, American Douglas Latchford, was charged in 2019 with art trafficking, but the case was tabled after his death.
In 2021, American collector Michael Steinhardt returned about 180 antiquities stolen from around the world in recent decades as part of a deal with the government.
The site, which recently reopened to tourists after a two-year pandemic-induced closure, was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992. »
![image for [OC] Why I also did not swim in South Korea (mother's foot for scale).](71d3b5d0-2c0d-560c-a59f-34611846cae3_thumb.jpg)
![image for ITAP of a town in Greenland [Contest]](0062f283-82eb-5941-b2f5-81e27c899859_thumb.jpg)
![image for [OC] My sisters were fighting over who would sit next to me my first time on a rollercoaster…](3fb630db-8cd3-5f9f-8b07-440109296a4e_thumb.jpg)
![image for [OC] The name of the trail was “Tall Trees” but this tree was also very wide (banana for scale)](21a79748-94b5-58e9-b658-551d33b2ff1b_thumb.jpg)
