Three Ancient Hindu temple statues returned to Cambodia

Three Ancient Hindu temple statues were returned to Cambodia on 3 June 2014. The three statues were stolen from the Koh Ker temple in Siem Reap province temple in 2004.

Statues were of mythological figures Duryodhana, Balarama and Bhima. The statues were returned from the United States.

The 158cm (5ft) statue of Duryodhana was stolen in 1972 and was sold at a London auction in 1975. It was nearly auctioned again at Sotheby's in New York, but the sale was stopped after Cambodian authorities launched an appeal.

The statue was transferred back to Cambodia in early May 2014 after a long legal struggle.

The second warrior statue, Bhima, was bought in 1976 by the Norton Simon Museum in California. After months of discussions, the museum agreed to return its statue as a gift to Cambodia in May 2014.

The third statue of Balarama was returned as part of an agreement between the Cambodian government and Christie's auction house in the US.