Cambodia’s Looted Buddhist Art and Other Embarrassments

THE DIPLOMAT
By Luke Hunt

CAMBODIA---For centuries, British colonialists would quip that they were doing the world a favor by relieving conquered territories of their historical artifacts. Such historical accusations were behind the return of a Cambodian statue taken from near the ruins of the 12th century temples at Angkor Wat. The statue of an ancient Hindu warrior had come up for auction at Sotheby’s and this had prompted the U.S. authorities to act. But celebrations have been tinged by a group of Cambodian security guards. As the Hindu warrior was being packed for the trip home, Cambodia’s only relics of Buddha were stolen from the former royal capital at Odong where some hair, teeth and bones of the Buddha were kept, supposedly under tight security. [link]