Press briefing of Cabinet Decision taken on 2023-06-26

Bringing back Sri Lankan cultural heritages presently under the possession of foreign countries

- In terms of the Articles 7 and 13 of the Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property adopted by UNESCO in 1970, there is a right to demand the returning of any cultural property currently in the possession of a foreign country to the State to which it belongs. Accordingly, the Government of the Netherlands has decided to return the artefacts taken from the colonial countries and currently stored in the state museums of the Netherlands, to the countries that own those artefacts. According to a research project conducted with the participation of the Museum Department and independent researchers regarding 6 such artefacts in the possession of the Netherlands, it has been confirmed that all the said artefacts were brought from Sri Lanka during the colonial period. A diplomatic request has been made by the Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs to get those artefacts back to Sri Lanka. Accordingly, the proposal made by the Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs to appoint an Officials' Committee to take further action in this regard and to prepare an action plan to get back Sri Lankan artefacts currently in the possession of various countries, was approved by the Cabinet.