Indonesia steps up efforts to repatriate cultural artifacts

hartono · Jul 23, 2026

Indonesia steps up efforts to repatriate cultural artifacts

Indonesia's Minister of Culture Fadli Zon (c) in a press conference in Jakarta on Thursday (July 23, 2026). (ANTARA/Sinta Ambar)

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia's Minister of Culture Fadli Zon continues to work to ensure that Indonesian cultural artifacts illegally held abroad are returned to the country.

"We are also still working to repatriate a number of important statues that remain abroad," Ministry Zon said during a press conference in Jakarta on Thursday.

During the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Indonesia on early July, Zon conveyed the Indonesian government’s desire for the Pucangan inscription to be returned to its homeland.

"And the Prime Minister Modi said he would take action and we have already sent a letter requesting the Pucangan inscription be repatriated to Indonesia. It is currently located in the Calcutta area of West Bengal," Zon explained.

Similarly, regarding the inscriptions in Scotland, there is the Sangguran inscription, for which repatriation efforts are currently underway. Both inscriptions were originally brought by Thomas Stamford Raffles and later given to Lord Minto in England.

"We are currently working on the proposal. We are likely going to offer them a deal, we’ll make a replica, place the replica there, and return the original. That’s our proposal, but it’s not final yet," he said.

Furthermore, in the near future, the government will also receive a plaque from the Netherlands along with a copy of the Qur’an from Teuku Umar. Intensive communication with several countries will continue, so that Indonesian cultural artifacts can be repatriated to their homeland.

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto received a courtesy call from Kash Patel, Director of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), marking the strengthening of cooperation between the two countries, particularly in efforts to repatriate Indonesian cultural artifacts that have been smuggled abroad.

In addition to the official discussions, the FBI Director also personally handed over Indonesian cultural artifacts to President Subianto as part of the repatriation cooperation between the Indonesian government and the FBI.

"Besides discussions as friends, he also presented cultural artifacts, in the return of cultural objects and artifacts smuggled into the United States. After conducting provenance research, the objects were returned and brought directly by Mr. Patel to President Prabowo Subianto," Zon said after attending a meeting in Kertanegara, Jakarta, on Wednesday (July 23).