President Prabowo Subianto welcomes FBI Director Kash Patel during a courtesy visit in Jakarta, on July 22 2026, including efforts to repatriate Indonesian cultural artefacts smuggled abroad. (Presiden Republik Indonesia)
On July 23, the Indonesian government reaffirmed their commitment to repatriate several Indonesian cultural artefacts which had been illegally smuggled overseas. Speaking at a press conference in Jakarta, Minister of Culture Fadli Zon stressed that the authorities were still working to secure the return of numerous artefacts currently held abroad.
This initiative was revealed during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Indonesia in early July, he raised the Indonesia’s government request for the repatriation of the Pucangan inscription, which now has been kept in Calcutta, West Bengal.
The minister of culture added that numerous proposals are underway to provide replica versions of the artefacts to the institutions holding them overseas, while the original objects would be returned to Indonesia.
The government is pursuing a similar effort to recover the Sangguran inscription, which is currently housed in Scotland. Both the Pucangan and Sangguran inscriptions were removed during the colonial era by Thomas Stamford Raffles before being presented to Lord Minto in Britain. Moreover, Indonesia expects to receive another inscription from the Netherlands in the near future, alongside the return of a Qur’an once belonging to Acehnese national hero Teuku Umar.
Separately, President Prabowo Subianto received a courtesy visit from US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel on July 22, underscoring closer cooperation between Indonesia and the US, particularly in combating the illegal smuggling of Indonesian cultural heritage and facilitating its return.
In addition to holding official talks, the FBI director personally handed over Indonesian cultural artefacts to President Prabowo as part of the ongoing repatriation partnership between the Indonesian government and the FBI.
The minister of culture added that Indonesia would continue engaging with several countries through sustained diplomatic efforts to secure the return of more cultural objects that remain overseas.
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