US returns 2 stolen statues to Cambodia

Phnom Penh: The US has returned two stolen ancient statues to Cambodia which were stolen decades ago during the civil war, according to a statement on Saturday. The statues arrived at the Phnom Penh International Airport on Tuesday and representatives of the two countries attended a Buddhist blessing ceremony held on Friday at the National Museum, reports Xinhua news agency. According to the statement, one for twoartefact is an 11th century sandstone Khmer statue torso of the Khleang style wearing a Khmer sampot, a traditional garment of Cambodia. “The antiquity expert determined the statue had a fair market value of $75,000,” the statement said. The other artefact, from the 10th century, is a large gray sandstone Khmer statue torso of an unidentified deity.Experts estimated the value of this statue at about $120,000. — IANS

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