A Takeo woman has uncovered a buried pre-Angkor statue while building her new home. She loves her statue very much and she thinks it is worth at least a house.
Woman celebrates her lucky discovery.

Ms Phoeun, the woman who discovered a precious statue while constructing a house on her land in Takeo, has said that the find has made her extremely happy. In fact, she is so happy with her statue, that she was reluctant to part with it when officials from the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts asked her to put the precious artefact in a museum for safe-keeping.

Ms Phoeun, who is clearly a hard-headed business woman, has asked for her new house to be built for her in exchange for relinquishing her beloved statue into the care of the Ministry of Culture. In this first stage of negotiations, the Ministry are pleading poverty and refuse to envisage paying for her house which is much too expensive for them. However, the officials concede that the woman who found the artefact is not obliged to give it up, so they are prepared to compensate her with some money as "encouragement" to be generous and do the right thing.

sure... everyone expects something for nothing...
oh that artifact is old and nice, i think we should have it,
but its mine, i found it,
yes but its old and nice and we should keep it safe,
but its mine,
but we will put it in a museum,
but its mine you want it pay for it,
but we are poor and we like your precious,
but i like it too, no money no deal,

Surely a foreign collector would offer the best deal. If the government takes it you can guarantee it'll either be someone's paperweight or in a truck to the border. Respecting Khmer heritage only applies to miniskirts

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''However, the officials concede that the woman who found the artefact is not obliged to give it up,

Somewhere, somehow I thought all antiquities were to be handed over to the Ministry mentioned.
So if you bought one on the black market & then claimed you found it in your yard all would be cool?
A curious matter.

Luigi wrote: ↑Sat Jun 24, 2017 4:50 pm ''However, the officials concede that the woman who found the artefact is not obliged to give it up,

Somewhere, somehow I thought all antiquities were to be handed over to the Ministry mentioned.
So if you bought one on the black market & then claimed you found it in your yard all would be cool?
A curious matter.

nope (well not sure the law here, but in the western world)

Finders rights, she found the item on the land that she had bought, meaning that anything found on that land is hers including this
only one person has more rights than the finder and thats the original owner, but seeing as this land was bought, so was the item, so the original owner has lost his/her rights of ownership

call me cynical but I think there's a chance she took the head off and stashed it figuring the gov would just confiscate her find. Then ask em if they want the head too? maybe she can find it. Or it's under my house but you have to buy my house and land to get it. The head would make a nice paperweight

You can call me cynical too cause that statue looks clean and in pretty good condition for something that old that has probably been buried for years.
Perhaps the shop keepers at the Russian Market can tell exactly how old it is and when it was bought.

I wonder if she has insurance. In saying that how well guarded is the artefact.

John Bingham wrote: ↑Mon Jun 26, 2017 11:17 pm

cptrelentless wrote: ↑Sat Jun 24, 2017 4:12 pm Surely a foreign collector would offer the best deal. If the government takes it you can guarantee it'll either be someone's paperweight or in a truck to the border.

I think you'll find you are wrong when it comes to well-publicized finds like this. The only reason I can figure that they haven't seized it already is that she might be rather powerful in her area. As far as I know all ancient artifacts are property of the state and cannot be traded.

That was my premise but damned if I can find supporting evidence. i. e. A translated praka, past case.
What is your assumption based on JB?