Cambodian ambassador: Looted artworks are ‘souls’ of culture

By LARRY NEUMEISTER
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Cambodia’s ambassador to the United States says the return of 30 antiquities to his country by U.S. law enforcement is like a returning of the souls of Cambodia’s culture. Ambassador Keo Chhea praised the cooperation between the U.S. and Cambodia to enable the return of the antiquities. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said Monday some of the sandstone and bronze sculptures and artifacts were given up by their owners when U.S. authorities told them they were stolen. Others were claimed through court actions. The artifacts date from the Bronze Age to the 12th century. They were looted during civil war and instability in Cambodia, which was ruled by the brutal Khmer Rouge in the 1970s.