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Douglas Latchford, who lorded it over the Cambodian cultural scene for decades and was hailed as an expert and benefactor, had been accused before he died of being a prolific trader in looted antiquities, and charged with criminal offences. From his base in Bangkok, Latchford bought sculptures he is alleged to have known were originally ransacked from Cambodia’s ancient sites by organised criminals1, then made millions selling them via prestige dealers and auction houses in London, New York and elsewhere. Glories of Khmer heritage ended up in some great museums and wealthy private homes, and now Cambodia2, assisted by the US government, is seeking their return.

Youk Chhang, the director of the Documentation Center of Cambodia, which maintains records of the “killing fields” genocide perpetrated by the Khmer Rouge regime between 1975 and 1979, says the return of its heritage is key to repairing the country.3

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• 1. A New York Times report from 2013 said the dealer denied involvement in the illegal shipment of Cambodian antiquities, and said he only helped salvage items that would have otherwise been “shot up for target practice” by the brutal Khmer Rouge regime. In his 2019 indictment, however, Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman alleged that Latchford “built a career out of the smuggling and illicit sale of priceless Cambodian antiquities, often straight from archeological sites, in the international art market.” Berman also charged the collector with falsifying invoices, provenance material, and shipping documents to circumvent customs restrictions and “facilitate the international shipment of the antiquities to dealers and buyers.” According to the Post, Latchford set up trusts in tax havens shortly after the investigation began.
• 2. The Washington Post and its ICIJ partners uncovered offshore trusts used by the late antiquities dealer Douglas Latchfort to transact in looted art. Latchfort was charged with trafficking in stolen and looted Cambodian objects by the Justice Department in 2019, but when he died last year, the indictment was dismissed. His daughter and heir, Nawapan Kriangsak, announced this January that she would repatriate his holdings of Cambodian antiquities — approximately 125 works valued at $50 million and considered the greatest private collection of Khmer Dynasty artifacts. (source: Hyperallergic)
• 3. “Cambodia is still in search of her identity, which has been eradicated by French colonialism, war and genocide, for many decades,” he said. “Cultural and religious heritage is a form of her identity and all the broken pieces must be put back in place.”