Britain returns Angkorian crown jewellery stolen from Cambodia, refrain grows to return Kohinoor

The Cambodian ministry stated it obtained the 77 items from the loved ones of a British antiquities dealer, Douglas Latchford.

Graphic Courtesy: Cambodia Ministry of Tradition & Great Arts/Fb&#13

By Subodh Kumar: Dozens of items of Angkorian crown jewellery, stolen from Cambodia which have under no circumstances been seen by the community, have been returned just after resurfacing in London, the Cambodian lifestyle ministry explained.

The Cambodian ministry said they obtained the 77 pieces from the loved ones of a British antiquities dealer, Douglas Latchford.

Latchford died in 2020 when awaiting demo in the United States for artwork trafficking, and his family members achieved an settlement with Cambodia the very same calendar year to return his collection of Khmer antiquities.

The assortment, which arrived discreetly in Cambodia on Friday, features “gold and other treasured metallic parts from the pre-Angkorian and Angkorian durations, which include crowns, necklaces, bracelets, belts, earrings and amulets”, the ministry said in a statement.

“The selection arrived in Cambodia on 17 February 2023, this sort of as gold and other important steel pieces from the Pre-Angkorian and Angkorian periods, which include crowns, necklaces, bracelets, belts, earrings and amulets, a selection of which have been featured in the e book Khmer Gold: Items of the Gods, co-authored by Emma C Bunker and Douglas AJ Latchford (2008). Many of the objects have hardly ever been viewed by the general public prior to,” the statement read through.

In 2022, the US also returned to Cambodia 30 looted antiquities, such as bronze and stone statues of Buddhist and Hindu deities that had been carved additional than 1,000 yrs in the past.

Amazing that the call for the United kingdom to return a person of the greatest lower diamonds, Kohinoor, to India grew louder after the dying of Queen Elizabeth II previous yr.

Now, a video clip of an Indian-origin journalist, Narinder Kaur, and United kingdom News journalist Emma Webb discussing if Kohinoor really should be returned to India or not, is generating rounds on social media.

In this viral clip, the two journalists can be seen indulging in a heated argument. Journalist Emma Webb argued that Kohinoor’s possession can be disputed, though fellow broadcaster Narinder Kaur hit back again, stating, “You do not know history.”

Notably, on February 14, The Buckingham Palace announced that the contentious Kohinoor diamond from the colonial era has been excluded from Camilla’s choice of crown for her coronation, scheduled to be held in Could 2023 with partner King Charles III at Westminster Abbey.

Before too, the dying of Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, had reignited the desire in India to carry again the Kohinoor.

In accordance to historical past, the Kohinoor was handed around to the British in 1849 as portion of a punitive deal signed with the Maharaja of Lahore in the aftermath of the Anglo-Sikh war.