MET to Return 16 Artifacts to Cambodia, Thailand

This image released by the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York on December 15, 2023, shows a 10th century goddess sandstone statue from Koh Ker, Cambodia. (Photo by Handout / US Attorney’s Office Southern District of New York / AFP)
This image released by the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York on December 15, 2023, shows a 10th century goddess sandstone statue from Koh Ker, Cambodia. (Photo by Handout / US Attorney’s Office Southern District of New York / AFP)
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MET to Return 16 Artifacts to Cambodia, Thailand

This image released by the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York on December 15, 2023, shows a 10th century goddess sandstone statue from Koh Ker, Cambodia. (Photo by Handout / US Attorney’s Office Southern District of New York / AFP)
This image released by the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York on December 15, 2023, shows a 10th century goddess sandstone statue from Koh Ker, Cambodia. (Photo by Handout / US Attorney’s Office Southern District of New York / AFP)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has begun the repatriation process for 16 sculptures previously held in its permanent collection, returning 14 to Cambodia and two to Thailand, according to the Art Newspaper.

The artifacts, date back between the ninth and fourteenth centuries, have been under scrutiny from the Attorney General of the Southern District of New York for their connection to dealer Douglas Latchford, who was indicted in the US for illegal sales of antiquities in 2019 and died in 2020, before he could stand trial on those charges.

The Met has undergone an intensive investigation into the provenance of its objects this year, hiring a research team following spring seizures of illegally obtained works.

Claims from the Cambodian government regarding Khmer works in the Met’s collection extend back significantly further.

Investigators had tracked a large number of antiquities believed to have been looted and smuggled to a single gallery of the museum, almost entirely sourced Latchford. When initial requests for information and repatriation by Cambodia went unfulfilled, the country enlisted the aid of the US Justice Department, as well as a former looter capable of providing evidence of the illegal removal and sale of antiquities from protected sites.

Toek Tik, provided additional links between Latchford and the illegal trade, claiming that the dealer used intermediaries to move objects out of Cambodia. The Met’s relationship with Latchford began during institutional leaders’ push to grow their collection of Southeast Asian art in the 1970s, and the museum partnered with the dealer to acquire high-quality works of Khmer sculpture through purchase and donation.

After Latchford’s death in 2020, investigators were left to parse a trove of documents and records relating to his business.In its announcement about the repatriations, the Met said that following the indictment, it “proactively reached out to the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and to Cambodian officials, and through this cooperative partnership, the museum received new information about the sculptures that made it clear that the works should be transferred”.

The 16 works scheduled for return will remain on view in the Met until repatriation arrangements are made, with new wall texts noting their upcoming removal from the museum.



River Seine Reopens to Public Swimming for 1st Time in a Century

A view of one of the three Seine swimming pools, Thursday, July 3, 2025 which will open during the 'Paris Plages' event from July 5 to Aug. 31 in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
A view of one of the three Seine swimming pools, Thursday, July 3, 2025 which will open during the 'Paris Plages' event from July 5 to Aug. 31 in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
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River Seine Reopens to Public Swimming for 1st Time in a Century

A view of one of the three Seine swimming pools, Thursday, July 3, 2025 which will open during the 'Paris Plages' event from July 5 to Aug. 31 in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
A view of one of the three Seine swimming pools, Thursday, July 3, 2025 which will open during the 'Paris Plages' event from July 5 to Aug. 31 in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)

For the first time in over a century, Parisians and tourists will be able to take a refreshing dip in the River Seine. The long-polluted waterway is finally opening up as a summertime swim spot following a 1.4 billion euro ($1.5 billion) cleanup project that made it suitable for Olympic competitions last year.

Three new swimming sites on the Paris riverbank will open on Saturday — one close to Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral, another near the Eiffel Tower and a third in eastern Paris.

Swimming in the Seine has been illegal since 1923, with a few exceptions, due to pollution and risks posed by river navigation. Taking a dip outside bathing areas is still banned for safety reasons.

The Seine was one of the stars of the Paris Olympics in 2024, whether as the scene of the ambitious opening ceremony or the triathlon and marathon swimming competitions. That didn't go without challenging hurdles such as rainfall increasing levels of bacteria, which postponed some competitions.

This city's authorities have given the green light for the public opening, with water quality results consistently in line with European regulations.

Making splashes in Paris city center “It’s a symbolic moment when we get our river back,” said sports coach and influencer Lucile Woodward, who will participate in the first amateur open water competition in the Seine on Sunday.

Woodward, who enjoyed a dip alongside Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo just before the start of the Olympic Games, is confident things will go well.

“We're going to enjoy swimming in it, being there and setting an example," she said. "Once people will see that in the end there are hundreds of people who have fun and enjoy it, everyone will want to go!”

“For families, going to take a dip with the kids, making little splashes in Paris, it’s extraordinary,” Woodward added.

Olympic athletes competing in the river was a spectacular reward for the cost of the cleanup effort.

In the run-up to the Games, authorities opened new disinfection units and created a huge storage basin meant to prevent as much bacteria-laden wastewater as possible from spilling directly into the Seine when it rains.

Houseboats that previously emptied their sewage directly into the river were required to hook up to municipal sewer systems. Some homes upstream from Paris also saw their wastewater connected to treatment plants instead of the rainwater system flowing directly into the river.

Green flag for swimming Paris Deputy Mayor Pierre Rabadan said water is tested daily to confirm it's safe to swim. As on French beaches, different colored flags will inform visitors whether or not they can go in.

“Green means the water quality is good. Red means that it's not good or that there's too much current,” he said.

Tests have been in line with European regulations since the beginning of June, with only two exceptions due to rain and boat-related pollution, Rabadan said.

“I can’t make a bet on the numbers of days when we’ll have to close this summer, but water quality seems better than last year,” he added. “We’re in a natural environment ... so weather condition variations necessarily have an impact."

Last year, several athletes became ill after competing in the triathlon and open water races during the Olympics, though in most cases it was not clear if the river was to blame for their sickness.

World Aquatics stressed the conditions met the sport’s accepted thresholds.

“The legacy of these efforts is already evident, with the Seine now open for public swimming — a positive example of how sports can drive long-term community benefits,” the organization said in a statement to The Associated Press.

Skepticism remains about water quality Dan Angelescu, founder and CEO of Fluidion, a Paris and Los Angeles-based water monitoring tech company, has routinely and independently tested bacterial levels in the Seine for several years. Despite being in line with current regulations, the official water testing methodology has limitations and undercounts the bacteria, he said.

“What we see is that the water quality in the Seine is highly variable,” Angelescu said. “There are only a few days in a swimming season where I would say water quality is acceptable for swimming.”

“All we can say is that we can raise a hand and say look: the science today does not support the current assessment of water safety used in the rivers around Paris, and we think that there is major risk that is not being captured at all,” he said.

Some Parisians also have shown skepticism toward the idea of swimming in the Seine. The feeling is often reinforced by the water's murky color, floating litter and multiple tourist boats in some places.

Enys Mahdjoub, a real estate agent, said he would not be afraid of swimming, but rather "a bit disgusted. It’s more the worry of getting dirty than anything else at the moment.”

A dream come true Until the end of August, swimming sites will be open for free at scheduled times to anyone with a minimum age of 10 or 14 years, depending on the location. Lifeguards will keep a watchful eye on those first dips.

“It’s an opportunity, a dream come true," said Clea Montanari, a project manager in Paris. "It’d be a dream if the Seine becomes drinkable, that would be the ultimate goal, right? But already swimming in it is really good.”