COURTESY HONOLULU ACADEMY OF ARTS The Honolulu Academy of Arts will return two ancient Khmer artifacts to Cambodian officials tomorrow.

Honolulu academy
returning artifacts

The donated pieces were stolen
from a Cambodian temple

---

Associated Press

The Honolulu Academy of Arts will return two ancient Khmer artifacts to Cambodian officials tomorrow during ceremonies in Phnom Penh.

The two sculptures, which were donated to the academy, were found to have been stolen from a temple in the Angkor area of Cambodia during the civil unrest of the 1970s, the academy said in a statement.

The objects being returned are a ninth-century, 15-inch stone head of Shiva and a 12th-century, 19-inch head of a demon. A reception at the U.S. Embassy will follow the afternoon ceremony.

"We hope the return of these sculptures will contribute greatly toward the further development of an ongoing relationship with the Cambodian people that will lead to further appreciation and understanding of Cambodia's culture and history," said George Ellis, director of the academy.

Ellis headed a group of about 25 academy officials and members who accompanied the artifacts Tuesday on a flight from Honolulu.

In a letter to Ellis, Princess Norodom Buppha Devi, Cambodia's minister of culture and fine arts, expressed "profound gratitude and appreciation" for the "noble gesture" of returning the artifacts.