Thailand delays return of artifacts due to lack of funds, Cambodia offers to pay

After Thailand postponed the return of the artifacts due to lack of funds, Cambodia announced that it would pay all the transportation costs to bring 20 Khmer artifacts back to the country.

Cambodian Minister of Culture and Fine Arts Phoeurng Sackona (left) and Thai Minister of Culture Paetongtarn Shinawatra - Photo: CAMBODIANESS

According to the Bangkok Post on July 8, the Cambodian government announced that it would cover the entire cost of transporting 20 Khmer artifacts from Thailand back to the country, after Thailand announced that it could not repatriate them as promised due to financial difficulties.

In a letter to Thai Culture Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra (who is also temporarily suspended from his position as prime minister ), Cambodian Culture and Fine Arts Minister Phoeurng Sackona affirmed that Cambodia is ready to cover all transportation costs, in accordance with the bilateral agreement reached in April.

Ms. Phoeurng also called on the Thai Ministry of Culture to respect the commitments agreed between the two sides, which include plans to hold a handover ceremony in Bangkok in July and transport the artifacts to Cambodia in August.

The Cambodian side's announcement came after the Thai government on July 4 announced a temporary halt to the repatriation of antiquities, citing insufficient budget.

This is Ms. Paetongtarn's first decision as Culture Minister, taking place in the context of still tense bilateral relations.

"This issue is currently in the budget planning stage, which is being handled by the Department of Fine Arts, but I was informed that this year's budget is insufficient. And since this is not an urgent issue, the ministry cannot request more from the central budget," Ms. Paetongtarn explained.

“We will need to review this. It may be necessary to submit a new budget proposal through the ministry and report to the cabinet as part of the process,” she added.

Some of the 20 artifacts expected to be returned to Cambodia by Thailand - Photo: THAI PBS WORLD

The 20 artifacts – mostly figurines – were among 43 items smuggled out of Cambodia years ago. After the Thai Fine Arts Department verified their origins, 23 were returned to Cambodia in 2008 and 2015.

The Khmer Times newspaper quoted Cambodian officials as saying that the country did not want the repatriation of antiquities - which have deep cultural and national symbolic significance - to be delayed for financial reasons.

Cambodia affirmed its wish for the repatriation process to take place on schedule and in the spirit of goodwill cooperation between the two countries.

HA DAO

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/thai-lan-hoan-tra-co-vat-vi-thieu-kinh-phi-campuchia-de-xuat-chi-tra-20250707154811583.htm