Indonesia accuses UK of holding antiquities

Culture Minister Fadli Zon told lawmakers that the United Kingdom is unwilling to repatriate historical artifacts and other antiquities taken from Indonesia in the 19th century. UK troops, led by Thomas Stamford Raffles, raided the Yogyakarta Palace in June 1812, seizing valuable items, including historic manuscripts.

The Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) politician recounted: “They used four ships to transport these treasures, but two of them sank. The remaining items are now kept at the British Museum and the British Library.

Hundreds of our historical manuscripts have still not been returned,” Fadli said during a hearing with the House of Representatives’ Commission.

He noted that the UK and the Netherlands hold the largest collections of Indonesian antiquities taken during the colonial period.