US Returns Apsara Head to Cambodia

Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
30 July 2007

US government officials Monday returned a plundered artifact to Cambodia.

The 2 kilogram Apsara head dates back to 1200 AD, and was returned under a bilateral agreement made in 2003.

US Ambassador Joseph Mussomeli said the return showed a commitment by the US to help Cambodia protect its heritage.

Ann Hurst, a US customs official from Bangkok, said two more Khmer artifacts were expected to be returned to Cambodia in 2008.

The return of the artifact showed "sincere cooperation" between Cambodia and the US "in the preservation of Khmer heritage," said Him Chhem, Minister of Culture and Fine Arts.

US returns ancient artifact stolen from Cambodia

Monday July 30, 2007

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP): The U.S. government returned to Cambodia on Monday the head of an Angkor-era sculpture that had been stolen and smuggled out of the Southeast Asian country.

The artifact, weighing about two kilograms (4.4 pounds), is a sandstone head of a celestial dancer, or apsara, from the 12th century, the U.S. Embassy said in a statement Monday.

It said the object was smuggled out of Cambodia into the U.S. in violation of a 2003 agreement between the two countries that aims to protect Cambodia's cultural heritage. The statement did not say when the item was stolen.

U.S. law enforcement agents seized the artifact early this year, Jeff Daigle, an embassy spokesman said.

"The U.S. government is very determined to assist the Cambodian government in protecting and preserving its heritage,'' Ambassador Joseph Mussomeli said after a ceremony in which the artifact was officially returned.

"We're very grateful and happy that our police and our other law enforcement agencies are really focused on this issue.'' he said.

Him Chhem, acting minister of culture, thanked the U.S. government for returning the artifact.

Cambodia's centuries-old stone monuments, especially those in the ancient capital of Angkor, suffered extensive destruction from both nature and looters especially during times of war over the past three decades.

Many priceless pieces have ended up in the hands of private collectors overseas.

US Embassy to return historical aterfact back to Cambodia

27 July 2007
By Pov Ponlok
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy

The US ambassador in Cambodia will return back a Khmer artifact consisting of an Apsara sculpture to Cambodia during a ceremony to be held on Monday 30 July.

The Apsara sculpture is made out of limestone and dates back to around 1200, it was previously confiscated by the US authority. Him Chhem, the deputy minister of the ministry of culture and fine arts of Cambodia will participate in this ceremony.