The Red List of Cambodian Antiquities at Risk was compiled

Raising Awareness: The Red List of Cambodian Antiquities at Risk was compiled in 2009 to draw attention to categories of objects which are frequently the target of illicit excavations, looting and other depredations to fuel the international antiquities and art market, although the cultural heritage of Cambodia is protected under national and international legislation. Thus ICOM wishes to support Cambodian institutional bodies and particularly the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, in their efforts to raise awareness amongst the population and international actors in the art market. The Red List exists in five languages, including Khmer, Thai, English, French and German, and is disseminated worldwide to police and customs officers as well as museum professionals, auctioneers, art dealers and private collectors. Bells, drums, bracelets, bronze statuettes; cornaline and agate beads; a Buddha's head, a lingam, a phallic symbol associated with the Hindu deity Shiva, lintels, fragments of chiselled bas-reliefs and engraved sandstone steles; female divinities, ritual objects, gilded wooden statues … and so the list goes on. In all, the first Red List of Cambodian Antiquities at Risk published in 2009 by the International Council of Museums (ICOM) detailed 46 categories of object.