Remarks by H.E. Dr. Sok An, Deputy Prime Minister, at the Handover Ceremony of the Statue of Hanuman

Phnom Penh, 12 May 2015

           

-    Dr. William Griswold, Director of the Cleveland Museum of Art;

-    Her Excellency Julie Chung, Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in Cambodia;

-    Her Excellency Anne Lemaistre, UNESCO Representative in Cambodia;

-    Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen;

I am very pleased and honored to represent the Kingdom of Cambodia to receive the Statue of Hanuman after his long stay overseas. This statue was once looted from Prasat Chen Temple of the Koh Ker historic complex. His body had been brutally severed from his pedestal, transported across the border, shipped to Europe, and then the United States of America. Now, after his long journey, he is finally back in his homeland.

I am sure that, if Hanuman were alive, we would see a smile on his face showing his joy at being here among us where he belongs.

This home-coming of Hanuman, once again, shows how the tireless efforts of the Royal Government of Cambodia in implementing the protection of our cultural heritage have paid off. Indeed, Hanuman will join five other Koh Ker statues recently returned home:

-          DURYODHANA from Sotheby’s (New York), which decided to settle the case by agreeing to return the Statue to Cambodia, after almost two years of a hard fought lawsuit introduced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of New York at the request of the Royal Government of Cambodia;

-          BHIMA from Norton Simon Museum (Pasadena, California);

-          BALARAMA from Christie’s (New York); and

-          Two PANDAVA Brothers from the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York).

The return of these last four statues resulted through direct negotiations between the legal team at the Office of the Council of Ministers under my supervision with the introductory assistance of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, and other concerned parties.

I would like to emphasise that these successes were made possible by close collaboration between the Royal Government of Cambodia and the Government of the United States of America together with UNESCO, the Ecole Française d’Extreme-Orient (EFEO) and other experts.

It should be noted that in the fight against the illicit import, export and transfer of ownership of cultural property, no single country can do it alone. International joint efforts are required in this complex exercise.

On behalf of the Royal Government of Cambodia led by Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, I would like to express our special thanks to the Government of the United States of America for their full support and cooperation in the case of Duryodhana which helped build a legal basis for reference with regard to future claims of stolen Khmer artifacts.

Our sincere thanks and appreciation also go to the Board of Trustees and the Director of the Cleveland Museum of Art, Dr. William Griswold, for their decision to return the Statue of Hanuman to Cambodia. Working with his Cambodian counterpart – His Excellency Chan Tani, Secretary of State at the Office of the Council of Ministers, and with officials from the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, Dr. Griswold has shown his museum’s high ethical standards, his professionalism, flexibility, patience and understanding. All of these have tremendously facilitated the negotiation process. I am convinced that today’s handover of the Statue of Hanuman opens doors to future cultural and technical cooperation between the National Museum of Cambodia and the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Last but not least, I would like to congratulate the Cambodian legal and cultural experts for their dedication and effectiveness leading to successive home-comings of our looted ancient artifacts.

In closing, the Royal Government of Cambodia appeals to other museums and collectors around the world to follow the example of returning plundered treasures to their rightful owners. We call upon the world, especially those active in the fields of art and culture, to begin treating the illicit trade of cultural property as a serious crime, which is destroying our cultural heritage, invaluable to all humanity.

Finally, I wish Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen good health, every success and happiness.

Thank you!