Netherlands to return looted treasures from colonies

The Netherlands announced that it will return 478 pieces of historical artifacts from Indonesia and Sri Lanka, which were obtained through oppression or looting during the colonial period, and which are in the collections of museums in the Netherlands.

In a written statement made by the Dutch government, it was stated that, at the request of Indonesia and Sri Lanka, 478 pieces of culturally significant historical artifacts will be returned to these two countries.

It has been announced that the Indonesian artifacts will be returned on July 10 and the Sri Lankan artifacts will be returned later this year. It was claimed that the artifacts in question were obtained under duress or by looting during the colonial period and brought to the Netherlands unfairly.

In the statement, “The decision to return was made by Günay Uslu, Minister of State for Culture and Media, in line with the recommendations of the Advisory Committee for the Return of Cultural Property of the Colonial Context, chaired by Lilian Gonçalves-Ho Kang. You. The works are currently in the collections of the National Museum of World Cultures and the Rijks Muezi (Rijksmuseum).

‘THIS IS A HISTORIC MOMENT’

Among the works to be returned to Indonesia are the Lombok Treasure consisting of 335 objects, 4 Singasari sculptures, a Klungkung keris and 132 modern art objects known as the Bali Pita Maha collection. Sri Lanka will return the Lewke canon, the golden chestnut (ceremonial sword), the Sinhala knife, the silver chestnut and two weapons.

The statement also included the remarks of Minister Günay Uslu. Uslu said: “This is a historic moment. This is the first time that we have followed the Committee’s recommendations to return items that should never be brought into the Netherlands. But above all, it is a moment in which we must look to the future. We don’t just return items; At the same time, we are entering a period of closer cooperation with Indonesia and Sri Lanka in areas such as collection research, presentation and inter-museum exchange.”

It was also noted that the committee is currently considering other applications from Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Nigeria and will publish its recommendations on these applications at a later date. (DHA)