Centuries-old jewelry returned to Cambodia

February 21, 2023
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A spectacular collection of centuries-old Cambodian jewelry has been returned to the Southeast Asian country, the latest treasures to be retrieved from the estate of well-known antiquities collector and dealer Douglas Latchford, who was accused of buying and selling looted artifacts.

Cambodia’s Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts announced Monday that 77 pieces of Cambodian jewelry from the Latchford family collection arrived back in their homeland on Friday. It said the collection included items “such as gold and other precious metal pieces from the Pre-Angkorian and Angkorian period including crowns, necklaces, bracelets, belts, earrings and amulets.” Angkor in the 9th to the 15th centuries was a powerful kingdom in the area of present-day Cambodia, and tourists can see its legacy at the famous Angkor Wat temple complex in the country’s northwest.

The ministry said the handover of the items involved Hun Many, a lawmaker who is the youngest son of Prime Minister Hun Sen; Cambodia’s ambassador to Britain; representatives of Britain’s Foreign Office; the Art & Antiques Unit of London’s Metropolitan Police; and the Arts Council England.