Thailand will delay the return of 20 ancient artefacts to Cambodia due to rising border tensions between the two countries and budgetary constraints, newly appointed Culture Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said today.
“The Culture Ministry has decided to review the return of the items, considering the ongoing tense bilateral relationship. Therefore, there will be no return at this time,” Paetongtarn said.
She made the remarks on her first day in office as Culture Minister after her premiership was suspended by order of the Constitutional Court.
Thailand and Cambodia had planned to hold a ceremony to mark the return of the artefacts later this month, with the artefacts expected to arrive to Cambodia in August.
Paetongtarn noted that the Cabinet, under former prime minister Srettha Thavisin, had approved the return of the 20 artefacts on May 21st last year, following a proposal from the Culture Ministry.
The decision was based on assessments by the Fine Arts Department and independent experts, confirming that the items originated in Cambodia.
She claims, however, that the process is now on hold, due to budget constraints.
“The matter is currently in the budgeting phase, under the Fine Arts Department, but I’ve been informed that the current year’s budget is insufficient and, since it is not considered an urgent matter, the ministry cannot request funds from the central budget,” she said.
“We’ll need to revisit this issue. It may be necessary to submit a new funding request through the ministry and report to the Cabinet as part of the process,” she added.
Some of the 20 artefacts set to be returned to Cambodia are delayed due to border tensions between the two countries.
The 20 artefacts, most of which are small sculptures, were part of a batch of 43 antiques smuggled out of Cambodia. The Thai Fine Arts Department verified their origins and returned 23 of them to Cambodia in 2008 and 2015.
Paetongtarn also reasserted Thailand’s claim over the ancient monuments in the Ta Muen Temple complex, which has recently become a point of contention between the two countries.
“These are cultural heritage sites under Thailand’s sovereignty, which have been officially registered as ancient monuments under the 1962 Ancient Monuments Act,” she said, adding “For other areas, we have received updates from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicating that efforts are being expedited to preserve these territories, which also fall under Thai sovereignty.”
