Dutch museums will return art and artifacts that were looted from Sri Lanka and Indonesia

By MIKE CORDER
Associated Press

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Dutch museums are handing back hundreds of cultural artifacts to Indonesia and Sri Lanka that were taken, often by force, from the countries in the colonial era. The pieces include richly decorated cannon from the city of Kandy, and precious metals and jewelry from the Indonesian island of Lombok. The government announced the planned restitution of 478 “cultural objects” Thursday. Some Western nations are returning looted artifacts and other objects as part of a reckoning with their often brutal colonial histories.