The government is moving ahead with efforts to seek compensation for colonial-era losses and the return of looted cultural treasures, Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath told Parliament, in response to a proposal raised by Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa.
Minister said the process of pursuing compensation for damage to property, theft and loss of life linked to the colonial period is currently underway. He said Sri Lanka is also continuing efforts to recover cultural artefacts taken from the country during colonial rule.
Addressing Parliament, the foreign minister said both the Portuguese and Dutch governments have accepted Sri Lanka’s requests for the restitution of looted cultural artefacts. He said some of the artefacts have already been returned, while the remainder are expected to be handed over in due course.
Vijitha Herath said the government also intends to pursue additional reparations through economic channels in the future, stressing the importance of addressing unresolved colonial-era grievances.
His remarks came after Sajith Premadasa urged Sri Lanka to follow the example of African nations that are pressing former colonial powers for reparations.
Responding to the query, Herath referred to a 2005 proposal to mark 500 years since Portuguese colonization, which had been put forward by the Portuguese ambassador and accepted by then-Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Vijitha Herath said that as minister of cultural affairs at the time, he rejected the proposal and instead demanded reparations for looted artefacts, loss of life and confiscated property.
He said the Portuguese government accepted those demands and that the Netherlands later also agreed to return artefacts taken during the colonial period, with some already repatriated on two occasions and the remainder expected to be returned. (NewsWire)
2026-02-06