US To Hand Over Two Ancient Khmer Treasures to Cambodia
US To Hand Over Two Ancient Khmer Treasures to Cambodia
PHNOM PENH, June 11, 2026 — Cambodia is set to receive two additional Khmer antiquities from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York after United States authorities seized the objects as part of an ongoing investigation into an international antiquities trafficking network.
The Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts announced on 11 June that the formal handover ceremony took place on 10 June at the Office of the Manhattan District Attorney in New York City. The return follows the successful repatriation of 14 Khmer artefacts from the Metropolitan Museum in December 2023 after years of negotiations.
According to the ministry, the two artefacts include a pre-Angkorian sandstone lintel depicting Rahu (Kala), dating from the 7th or 8th century, and a 10th-century Angkor-period sandstone sculpture believed to represent the demon Hiranyakashipu. The latter is believed to have originated from Prasat Chen in the Koh Ker archaeological complex.
The ministry said investigators from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Antiquities Trafficking Unit provided evidence showing that both artefacts were linked to the trafficking network of convicted antiquities dealer Nancy Wiener. Following a review of the evidence, the Metropolitan Museum agreed to return the objects to Cambodia at the request of US prosecutors.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has been one of Cambodia’s closest international partners in efforts to recover looted cultural property. Over the past decade, investigations into trafficking networks associated with Nancy Wiener, the late British collector Douglas Latchford and the London-based firm Spink & Son have led to the return of numerous Khmer artefacts to Cambodia.
Cambodia’s Ministry of Culture expressed its gratitude to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and the Antiquities Trafficking Unit, particularly Assistant District Attorney Matthew Bogdanos and his investigative team, for their continued commitment to combating the illicit trade in cultural property.
The ministry also praised the Metropolitan Museum of Art for accepting the evidence and agreeing to repatriate the two artefacts. It welcomed the museum’s ongoing cooperation in reviewing additional Khmer objects in its collection that may have originated from Cambodia.
The ministry further thanked Cambodian and international experts who have supported the repatriation process, including legal adviser Bradley J. Gordon, cultural heritage consultant Malina Antoniadis, and French archaeologist Éric Bourdonneau of the French School of Asian Studies (EFEO), whose research contributed to identifying the Koh Ker sculpture.
The latest return marks another milestone in Cambodia’s long-running campaign to recover cultural treasures removed from the country during decades of conflict and illegal trafficking, reinforcing international efforts to protect and restore the Kingdom’s cultural heritage.
