THINGS WE LEARNED THIS MONTH... RECENT HISTORY HEADLINES THAT CAUGHT OUR EYE
CAMBODIA CALLS FOR RETURN OF LOOTED STATUES The Cambodian government is urging two UK museums to return artefacts it says were looted from their country several decades ago. In a letter addressed to her British counterpart Nadine Dorries, Cambodia’s culture minister, Phoeurng Sackona, claims that the British Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum are in possession of statues stolen during the unrest caused by the Khmer Rouge – the murderous regime that ruled Cambodia between 1975–79. The statues hold a particularly special place in Cambodian culture, as they are believed to contain the souls of people’s dead ancestors. As reported by the BBC, both museums have since released statements saying that they intend to reply to Cambodia’s claims, and that they are transparent about the provenance of their collections.
GETTY IMAGES X1, ALAMY X4, BANK OF SCOTLAND X1, DR ANTONIA THOMAS X2
A photograph of the historic Prasat Thom pyramid temple at Koh Ker, northern Cambodia (background), alongside images of typical statues found at such sites (right). Many Cambodian temple artefacts were looted during the turmoil caused by the Khmer Rouge, with some ending up in western museums
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