Speeches
Remarks by Andrew C. Cohen, Senior Analyst, U.S. Department of State Cultural Heritage Center, Repatriation of Stone Apsara Dancer to Cambodia
National Museum of Cambodia
July 30, 2007
It is a pleasure to be present today, here at Cambodia’s National Museum, to witness the repatriation of a piece of Classical Khmer art to its rightful owner, the Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia. The piece is a sandstone Apsara dancer from around 1200 AD. It was smuggled out of Cambodia and was brought to the U.S. in violation of an agreement between our two countries that aims to protect Cambodia’s cultural heritage. This agreement makes it illegal to import into the U.S. ancient Khmer stone, metal, and ceramic archaeological material unless an export permit is issued by Cambodia or there is verifiable documentation that the objects left Cambodia prior to the effective date of the restriction: December 2, 1999, for stone objects such as this.
The bilateral agreement and the Emergency Import Restriction that came before it are responses to a request from the Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia seeking protection of its cultural heritage under Article 9 of the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property. Cambodia is the first country in East Asia to receive the help of the United States in protecting its cultural property in this manner. The agreement was signed on September 19, 2003, by U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia, Charles A. Ray, representing the U.S. Government, and Minister of Culture and Fine Arts, Her Royal Highness Princess Norodom Bopha Devi, representing the Royal Government of Cambodia.
Countries such as Cambodia, Italy, and Peru are finding that these agreements are useful in fighting the illicit trafficking of antiquities because the import restrictions cover categories of materials. This means, for example, that all styles of Khmer stone statues from the pre-Angkorian, Angkorian, and post-Angkorian periods can be protected from pillage.
Cambodia’s Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts is to be commended for its careful work to preserve Khmer monuments and archaeological sites. The work of the Customs and Excise Department in enforcing export controls at airports and international border crossings, and that of the new Department of Patrimony Protection Police is extremely valuable in the important effort of preventing illicit activity in the first place. We look forward to continuing to work with the Kingdom of Cambodia to protect its national cultural treasures.
