Protesters take 1,000 artefacts missing from Sri Lanka’s presidential palace and PM’s official residence: police
Over 1,000 artefacts missing from Sri Lanka’s Presidential Palace and PM’s official residence taken over by protesters: Police: More than 1,000 valuable artefacts, including antiques and archeological items, have gone missing from Sri Lanka’s Presidential Palace and the Prime Minister’s official residence at Alarimalikai earlier this month after anti-government protesters took over. The police have said that they are gone.
On July 9, anti-government protesters occupied the homes of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe after entering their compound and setting fire to one of the buildings due to Sri Lanka’s economic crisis.
Based on initial investigations, at least 1,000 valuable items, including rare artefacts, have gone missing from the Presidential Palace and the Prime Minister’s official residence, Colombo Page reported citing police sources.
Special Investigation Teams have been constituted to initiate the investigation.
The news agency reported that Sri Lanka’s Department of Archeology does not have detailed records of antiquities and various antiquities in the Presidential Palace, despite being declared a place of archaeological importance in the decree, adding to the anguish of investigating officers.
Although the police estimate that more than 1000 antiquities may be missing, it is difficult to get accurate and clear information on their number, a senior official of the Department of Archeology told Sunday’s Lankadeepa.
Newly elected President Ranil Wickremesinghe has said he respects the protesters’ right to demonstrate peacefully and has vowed not to allow them to occupy government buildings such as the Presidential Palace or the Prime Minister’s private residence. Wickremesinghe said he has authorized Sri Lankan armed forces and police to take all necessary measures to prevent people from besieging public places and disrupting Parliament.
“Don’t stop MPs and Parliament from doing their duty,” Ranil Wickremesinghe said this week.
In a pre-dawn attack on Friday, Sri Lankan security forces stormed a base of anti-government protesters in Kale Mukhathidal, where several government offices are located, injuring at least nine people.
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