The Netherlands to Return Hundreds of Colonial-Era Artifacts to Indonesia and Sri Lanka

The Netherlands said Thursday it will return hundreds of artifacts that were taken during the country's colonial era to Indonesia and Sri Lanka.

The decision follows the recommendations of a government-appointed commission last year that looked into the illegal acquisitions of Dutch colonial artifacts now in museums in the Netherlands.

Among the items to be returned are the so-called Lombok treasure, looted by the Dutch colonial army after capturing the Cakranegara palace on Indonesia's Lombok island in 1894.

This includes hundreds of golden and silver objects. Also to be returned is the 18th-century "Lewke's cannon", a bronze cannon decorated with silver, gold and precious gems.

It is believed to have been a gift by a Sri Lankan aristocrat to the king of Kandy around 1745-46, but fell into Dutch hands in 1765 when their troops attacked and conquered Kandy.

The commission is also looking into returning other artifacts, such as art from Nigeria and the Dubois collection, which includes the horse-riding reins of Prince Diponegoro, a Javanese royal who opposed Dutch colonial rule in the 19th century.

The move is part of the Netherlands' efforts to confront its colonial legacy. Dutch King Willem-Alexander recently issued an apology for the Netherlands' involvement in colonial-era slavery.

Restitution is viewed as a positive step in cooperation with Sri Lanka and other countries, and is meant to build relationships and exchanges of knowledge between the two nations in the fields of research and common history.