Netherlands Returns 472 Stolen Cultural Objects to Indonesia

Jakarta – The Netherlands is ready to return 472 important cultural heritage objects that were brought illegally and obtained by force or looting during the colonial period to Indonesia.

The Royal Netherlands Embassy in a statement received by Indonesia on Thursday, said that the decision was made by State Secretary for Cultural Affairs and Media Gunay Uslu based on recommendations from the Advisory Committee for the Return of Cultural Objects from the Colonial Period.

The returned cultural objects include the 'Lombok treasure', four Singasari statues, a Keris from Klungkung, Bali, and 132 modern art objects from Bali known as the Pita Maha collection.

The objects are currently in the collections of the National Museum of World Cultures in Leiden and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

The handover will take place at the National Museum of Ethnology in Leiden on July 10, 2023. "This is a historic moment," Gunay Uslu said in a statement.

"This is the first time we have followed the committee's recommendation to return objects that should never have been brought to the Netherlands,"

Uslu added that he hoped to establish closer cooperation with Indonesia in various fields, such as collection research and the exchange of objects between museum.

Last year, Indonesia has requested the return of several cultural objects of great importance to the country. The history of the objects was then researched by the National Museum of World Culture, in discussion with experts from Indonesia.

Based on the results of the research, the committee recommended that the objects be returned to Indonesia.

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VIVA.co.id

18 Juni 2025