Arya News - Sri Lanka will pursue Britain for colonial-era losses and seek the return of cultural treasures, its foreign minister has said.
Sri Lanka will pursue Britain for colonial-era losses and seek the return of cultural treasures, its foreign minister has said.
Vijitha Herath told the Sri Lankan parliament on Friday that the south Asian island also intended to seek compensation from the UK for damage to property, theft and loss of life linked to the colonial period.
His comments came in response to Sajith Premadasa, the opposition leader, urging Sri Lanka to follow the African nations pressing former colonial powers for reparations.
Britain ruled the island, then known as Ceylon, from 1796 until independence in 1948. During that time, British forces seized royal regalia from the Kandyan Kingdom, Sri Lanka’s last independent monarchy, including thrones, crowns and ceremonial swords.
Some items were later returned but many are believed to remain in overseas collections.
Among the most prominent objects Sri Lanka wants returned is an eighth-century bronze statue of the Buddhist goddess Tara. It was discovered near the port city Trincomalee and now in the Asian gallery at the British Museum in London .
Vijitha Herath said he will seek compensation from the UK for damage to property - Ishara S Kodikara/AFP
It is cast in one piece of solid bronze that has been covered in gold.
Sri Lanka has already seen the return of artefacts from the Netherlands, which in December 2023 handed back several items looted around 250 years ago from the Kandyan Kingdom .
These included a sabre with solid gold hilt and 138 diamonds, and a cannon inlaid with gold, silver and bronze known as Lewke’s Cannon. The objects are now on display at the Colombo National Museum on the country’s western coast.
The cannon was part of a larger set, with the other two now in Windsor Castle, understood to have been taken by the British during the wars with Kandy in the early 19th century.
Successive governments in Colombo, the capital, have said Western powers exported large quantities of Sri Lankan cultural objects during the Portuguese (1505–1658), Dutch (1658–1796) and British (1796–1948) periods. These include religious relics, royal regalia, sculptures, manuscripts and ceremonial items that form part of the island’s Buddhist and Sinhalese heritage.
Officials admit, however, that pursuing restitution is complex. While governments can engage with states, many artefacts are held by private collectors abroad, limiting Sri Lanka’s ability to demand their return through diplomatic channels.
Historians say the removal of cultural property during colonial rule reflected wider patterns of exploitation and conquest.
Portuguese forces, they say, took sacred relics and temple objects as war trophies. The Dutch exported masks, ritual objects and old leaf manuscripts, while the British removed large numbers of statues, religious texts, architectural elements and works of art.
While some Sri Lankans are pleased with the move, many fear restitution might be used to cover up the economic downturn the country is facing.
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