The Cambodian government is taking legal moves to seek the return of two ancient Angkorian statues from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the New York Times reported over the weekend.

Representatives from the National Commission for UNESCO could not be contacted yesterday, and Mey Marady, a director at Apsara, said he could not answer questions because he was busy at an election meeting.

“The twin sandstone figures, called the Kneeling Attendants, flank the doorway of the gallery where the Met displays its small but globally significant collection of artifacts from the glory days of Khmer civilization,” the Times reported.

There was a dispute in early April between Cambodia and art megahouse Sothebys, when the Kingdom tried to block the latter from selling off statues it claimed were stolen from Cambodia.

The Times alleges that the two statues in question at the Met were also taken from Cambodia around the same time.

To contact the reporter on this story: Bridget Di Certo at [email protected]