Vandals will be brought to book – Sajith
Housing Construction and Cultural Affairs Minister Sajith Premadasa has commended the public for remaining calm and acting in an exemplary manner in the face of the organised vandalism caused to certain places of Buddhist worship in Mawanella by some disruptive elements.
The Minister in a statement issued on December 28 said Buddha statues erected at Randiwela junction, Miriskudu junction, Pahala Kadugannawa and Indula junction had been destroyed by this group of vandals and he has deployed a team of officers from the Cultural Affairs and Archaeology Department to investigate the damage so that the statues could be restored within a week, as the necessary funds had been estimated for allocations towards the job.
He said the team of officials included Kegalle Archaeology assistant Director H.B.A.K. Nilmalgoda, Mrs. E.M.R.K. Menike, T.K.M.K. Dissanayake, Mrs. Niluka Dharmadasa and National Heritage Deputy Director Prasad Ranasignhe.
Investigations made by the team had revealed that the said Buddha statues had no archaeological value. However, the statues had to be restored since they had commanded deep veneration by the people.
(Source: Daily News)
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Hon. Minister, is this valid for those who broke into Buddhists archaeological sites to hunt treasure? Moreover what about bulldozing Buddhist archaeological sites in the East?