Phnom Penh [Cambodia], June 18: Twenty-seven trafficked Cambodian antiquities have been repatriated to the southeast Asian country from the United States, Cambodia's Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts said on Friday.
The ancient objects were airlifted to Cambodia on Wednesday, it said in a press statement, adding that among them are several important Buddhist and Hindu statues, such as a bronze meditating Buddha and a sandstone statue of Shiva.
The returned antiquities have been placed at the National Museum in Phnom Penh for experts to evaluate, clean, repair and install the necessary pedestals in preparation for an official handover ceremony at an appropriate time.
"These Khmer cultural objects are the soul of generations of Khmer ancestors and represent Cambodia's awe-inspiring past, which have departed from their motherland over a number of years during a period of war and turmoil," Minister of Culture and Fine Arts PhoeurngSackona said in the statement.
Source: Xinhua