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Thais hand back Cambodian antiques
The Thai government has returned more than a hundred artefacts to Cambodia as part of a campaign against the illegal trade in antiquities.
The pieces have been handed over to the visiting Cambodian Foreign Minister Hor Namhong in a gesture which Thai officials hope will improve relations between the two neighbours.
Thailand is concerned that it has become the hub of the illegal antiquities trade which has increased in recent years, and is blamed partly on requests for Asian treasures from collectors in America and Europe. A BBC Correspondent in Bangkok says that with increased vigiliance in the capital, much of the smuggling has moved to bases in the border provinces.
One of the returned Cambodian pieces was a large mural which Thai officials fear is an indication of official corruption in cross-border traffic.
From the newsroom of the BBC World Service
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