JAKARTA, July 23- The United States(US) Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has returned several Indonesian cultural artefacts illegally smuggled into the US, with Indonesia expressing hope for stronger cooperation on the repatriation and restitution of cultural objects.
Culture Minister Fadli Zon said FBI Director Kash Patel personally handed over the artefacts to President Prabowo Subianto during a courtesy call at Kertanegara, Jakarta, on Wednesday, marking the latest outcome of repatriation cooperation between the Indonesian government and the FBI.
“We hope that our cooperation with the FBI, particularly in the repatriation and restitution of these cultural objects, will become even stronger in the future, with the support of the State Secretariat and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” he said in a statement issued by the Presidential Secretariat on Thursday.
Fadli said the returned artefacts originated from Papua and represented the cultural heritage of the Dani and Asmat communities, as well as communities around Lake Sentani, describing them as objects of significant historical and cultural value to Indonesia.
He said the artefacts were repatriated after provenance research established that they had been illegally smuggled to the US, describing the process as part of Indonesia’s efforts to restore its cultural sovereignty.
Fadli said the FBI had previously assisted Indonesia in recovering stolen cultural objects, including bronze statues and artefacts from several cultural sites, expressing hope that the cooperation would continue to expand.
He added that the returned artefacts would be displayed at the National Museum, allowing the public to appreciate and learn more about Indonesia’s cultural and historical heritage.
