Ancient Khmer jewellery to be returned from United Kingdom

Government officials will travel to recover ten ancient jewellery items from the United Kingdom after the antiques agent selling them agreed to offer them back. Prak Sunnara, director of the Ministry of Culture’s heritage department, said that officials from the ministry and from the Union of Youth Federation of Cambodia will fly to the UK soon to bring back the ancient items.

Mr Sunnara said the items will be put on display at the National Museum for all to see after being lost for so many years. “I do not know when these items were lost, but they were made in the Angkor era,” he said. “The Cambodian government did not pay one cent for the recovery of these items. The antique sellers agreed to give them back to Cambodia.”

On November 18, 2016, the Ministry of Culture got information that antique dealers Jonathan Tucker and Antonia Tozer of Asian Arts in London were selling many ancient items, including ten golden jewellery items made for decorating sculptures during the Angkor era. Once aware, the ministry, through the Cambodian Embassy in the UK, demanded the items back. Mr Tucker and Ms Tozer agreed to give them back to the Kingdom on April 20, 2017.

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