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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Sopheng Cheang

Cambodia welcomes return from abroad of centuries-old artifacts looted by notorious smuggling ring

Cambodia Artifacts - (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Cambodian officials on Friday welcomed back more than six dozen centuries-old artifacts described as part of the country’s cultural heritage that had been looted during decades of war and instability.

At a ceremony attended by Deputy Prime Minister Hun Many, the 74 items were unveiled at the National Museum in Phnom Penh after their repatriation from the United Kingdom. The artifacts were returned under a 2020 agreement between the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and the family of the late Douglas Latchford, an art collector and dealer who is blamed for having had the items smuggled out of Cambodia.

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