Sri Lanka seeks valuable artefacts that went missing during last year's anti-govt protest

Colombo: Sri Lanka on Sunday urged the people to return or provide any information regarding valuable artefacts and archaeological items that went missing during the massive protests against the government of the then-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa in July last year.

More than 1,000 artefacts, including items of vintage and antique value went missing from Sri Lanka's Presidential Palace and Prime Minister's official residence at Temple Trees in Colombo after irate anti-government protesters occupied these premises in July last year to protest the island nation's worst economic crisis in decades.

During protesters' occupation of the Colombo Fort Presidential Palace from July 9 to 14, 2022, various valuable artefacts and archaeological items went missing, including coats of arms associated with former governors and presidents of Sri Lanka, the President’s Media Division (PMD) said.

President's Secretary Saman Ekanayake has requested the return of any Coats of Arms with archaeological or artistic value that belonged to Sri Lanka's former governors and presidents. These items are sought to be handed over to the Presidential Secretariat by July 31, the statement added.

Ekanayake has emphasised that retaining of these official insignia beyond the specified period will result in legal consequences, as the unlawful possession of state property is a punishable offence.

The three months of occupation at the entry to the then-president Rajapaksa’s secretariat ended after he fled the country on July 9.

By then the protesters came to occupy more key buildings until the military intervened to evict them 2 weeks later.

The government then announced that several artefacts had gone missing from key buildings.

Rajapaksa was replaced by incumbent Ranil Wickremesinghe.