On 30 October 2026, the Royal Embassy of Cambodia in London was honoured to formally receive 18 Khmer cultural objects from the Metropolitan Police Service’s Art and Antiques Unit, marking an important milestone in their journey home to Cambodia.
For the Cambodian people, the return of these cultural objects represents far more than the recovery of historical artefacts. It is regarded as “The Return of Our Ancestors’ Souls”, symbolising the spiritual reconnection of these treasured objects with their people, history, traditions and homeland.
The objects were recovered in November 2025 through the dedicated efforts of the Metropolitan Police Service’s Art and Antiques Unit, with support from the OSCE-led Heritage Crime Task Force.
At the handover ceremony, Her Excellency TUOT Panha, Ambassador of Cambodia to the United Kingdom, expressed her heartfelt gratitude to the Metropolitan Police Service, the OSCE-led Heritage Crime Task Force and all partners involved in the recovery and safeguarding of these precious cultural treasures.
She emphasised that their return represents an act of cultural restoration, reaffirming the importance of international cooperation and our shared responsibility to protect and preserve cultural heritage for future generations.
