The 9th-century Angkorian crown jewelry was returned back to the people of Cambodia. The antique artifacts returned included necklaces, crowns, amulets, and other treasures. Douglas Latchford who was responsible for the art trafficking died in 2020 while waiting for his trial in the US.
77 Pieces Were Returned
The family of Latchford reached an agreement with the Cambodian authorities the same year Douglas Latchford died. Following the agreement, a total of 77 antique artifacts were returned to the Cambodian culture ministry. All the artifacts returned included precious gold and metal pieces from pre-Angkorian (Pre-Angkorian period 300-500 CE) and Angkorian periods (9th century).
Returning Everything Looted
Cambodia was facing one of its worst civil crises in the 1970s under the oppressive Khmer Rouge regime. It was during this time that thousands of antique artifacts were stolen to be sold to dealers in Thailand and Hong Kong. In 2022, the US government returned more than 30 stolen artifacts that included 1000 years old statues of Buddhist and Hindu gods.
