Met returns looted artefacts to Cambodia

Cambodia has secured the return of two ancient treasures from New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, marking another victory in its long campaign to reclaim cultural heritage stolen decades ago.

The handover follows a major US investigation into illicit art networks. The Manhattan District Attorney’s Antiquities Trafficking Unit traced the pieces to a smuggling ring run by convicted dealer Nancy Wiener. After reviewing the evidence, the Met agreed to repatriate them.

The artefacts include a seventh‑ or eighth‑century sandstone lintel carved with a kala motif from the pre‑Angkorian era, and a tenth‑century Angkorian sculpture of the demon Hiranyakasipu from Prasat Chen at Koh Ker. Both will be formally returned in a ceremony before being conserved and registered as national heritage in Cambodia.

The Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts praised US authorities for their cooperation, calling the illicit trade in cultural property “a crime against the source country and a crime under the laws of the State of New York”. Ministry spokesman Sum Map said Cambodia is working with international partners to track more missing artefacts, though ongoing provenance research prevents disclosure of exact numbers.

Sixteen countries have now repatriated a total of 2,274 artefacts to Cambodia, more than half of them since 2023. Officials credit partnerships with museums, law enforcement and private collectors for slowing the black market trade, but acknowledge that tracing looted heritage remains a slow and costly process.

Despite these challenges, Cambodia insists it will continue to pursue the return of its treasures. “Our determination is to bring them home for future generations,” Map said.

-2026-06-12