US will return to Cambodia 30 antiquities looted from sites

A Bangkok dealer created fake documents to conceal that the items had been stolen and smuggled

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  Officials announced the repatriation of 30 looted antiquities to Cambodia. AP

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  One of the Cambodian antiquities recovered by the US Attorney's Office, in New York. AP

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  Some of the Cambodian antiquities recovered by the US Attorney's Office on display. AP

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  The South-East Asian country's archaeological sites, including Koh Ker, a capital of the ancient Khmer empire, suffered widespread looting in civil conflicts between the 1960s and 1990s. AP

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  Looted artefacts on display. AP

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  This 10th century sandstone statue depicting the Hindu god of war, Skanda, riding on a peacock will be returned to Cambodia. AP

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  The works were voluntarily relinquished by US museums and private collectors after civil forfeiture claims were filed. AP

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  Some of the artefacts are made from gold and bronze. AP

The US will return to Cambodia 30 looted antiquities, including bronze and stone statues of Buddhist and Hindu deities carved more than 1,000 years ago, US officials said on Monday.

The South-East Asian country's archaeological sites, including Koh Ker, a capital of the ancient Khmer empire, suffered widespread looting in civil conflicts between the 1960s and 1990s.

Cambodia's government has since sought to repatriate stolen antiquities sold on the international market.

Damian Williams, the top federal prosecutor in New York, said the items being returned were sold to western buyers by Douglas Latchford, a Bangkok dealer who created fake documents to conceal that the items had been stolen and smuggled.

Mr Williams said the antiquities, including a 10th century sandstone statue depicting the Hindu god of war Skanda riding on a peacock, were voluntarily relinquished by US museums and private collectors after his office filed civil forfeiture claims.

"These statues and artifacts … are of extraordinary cultural value to the Cambodian people," he said at a ceremony announcing the return of the antiquities.

US prosecutors in 2019 charged Latchford, a dual citizen of Thailand and the US, with wire fraud and smuggling over the alleged looting. He died in Thailand in 2020.

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  Restored art pieces by renowned Iraqi artists are on display at Iraq's Ministry of Culture in Baghdad. All photos: AFP

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  Many of the works disappeared in 2003 when museums and other institutions were pillaged in the chaos that followed the US-led invasion to topple dictator Saddam Hussein.

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  Visitors look at paintings by renowned artist Faiq Hassan.

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  The 'maternal statue', a work by Iraqi artist Jawad Selim, that was rediscovered in a district known for its antiques and second-hand goods shops is on display. The painting on the right is by Shakir Hassan Al Said.

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  Visitors look at paintings by Iraqi artists Suad Al-Attar, left, and Rafa Al Nasiri.

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  A wooden sculpture of a gazelle with undulating curves.

The antiquities will be displayed at the National Museum of Cambodia in Phnom Penh, Cambodia's ambassador to the US, Keo Chhea, told Reuters at the ceremony.

In 2014, federal prosecutors returned the Duryodhana, a looted 10th-century sandstone sculpture, to Cambodia after settling with auction house Sotheby's, which had acquired it.

Last year, the Manhattan district attorney's office returned 27 other looted antiquities to Cambodia.

France to return looted artifacts to Benin -- in pictures

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  The Quai Branly Museum in Paris is exhibiting over a dozen colonial-era treasures taken from Benin, the last time they will be shown in France before being returned to the African nation. AP

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  Artworks from the collection on display inside the Quai Branly Museum. The 26 pieces, from a trove of objects taken by French forces in 1892, are being shown for only six days at the museum before being shipped to Benin. EPA

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  The treasures are from the kingdom of Dahomey in the south of present-day Benin. EPA

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  The 19th century throne of King Ghezo, left, and the throne of King Glele, from Benin, are part of the exhibit. AP

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  A close-up view of the detail on one of King Glele's palace doors. AP

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  A statue of Benin's 19th century King Behanzin on display. AP

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  A sculpture entitled 'Royal Seat'. EPA