Cambodia to fund return of Khmer artefacts after Thai budget delay

Cambodia has offered to cover the expenses for the return of 20 Khmer artefacts from Thailand, after Thai Culture Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra revealed last week that Thailand was unable to proceed with the repatriation due to financial constraints and rising bilateral tensions.

Cambodian Minister of Culture and Fine Arts Phoeurng Sackona urged Thailand to honour the previously agreed timeline for the return of the artefacts, which Thailand has committed to repatriate.

In a letter, addressed to Paetongtarn and dated July 6th, Phoeurng confirmed that Cambodia would bear the cost of transporting the artefacts, in accordance with the bilateral agreement reached in April.

“Therefore, I request the Ministry of Culture of the Kingdom of Thailand to proceed with the implementation of the agreement within the agreed timeframe, in order to avoid any further delays,” the letter stated.

She also reiterated that both sides had planned to hold an official handover ceremony in Bangkok in July, with the artefacts expected to be transferred to Cambodia the following month.

On July 4, Paetongtarn, on her first day as Culture Minister, announced that Thailand would delay the handover of the artefacts due to rising border tensions and budgetary constraints.

She added that the ministry would need to revisit the issue and may have to submit a new funding request and report to the Cabinet as part of the process.

The 20 artefacts, mostly small sculptures, are part of a batch of 43 Khmer antiquities smuggled out of Cambodia. The Thai Fine Arts Department verified their Cambodian origin and returned 23 of them in 2008 and 2015.