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Archaeology Dept. has no clear record of artefacts in President’s House
View(s):CID arrests many aragalaya protesters, while police say more than 1000 valuable items reported missing from President’s House and Temple Trees
By Yoshitha Perera
Though the President’s House was designated as a protected monument in 2009, the Archaeology Department has no clear record of the artefacts inside the premises, a senior official said.
Some of the damaged paintings at the President's House. Pix by Indika Handuwala
“It would be difficult to obtain specific and clear information about the exact number of antiques that have gone missing in the President’s House and Temple Trees after anti-government protesters occupied these premises,” the official said.
More than 1,000 valuable artefacts, including antique items, were reported missing from the President’s House and Temple Trees, according to the Police.
The Police are now arresting suspected individuals on charges of rioting and trespassing on government property during the anti-government protests while the Archaeology Department hoped to submit a final report pertaining to the lost artefacts within a week.
The Police had recovered several items stolen from the President’s residence. One suspect was arrested for stealing an electric iron, and another for stealing the President’s flag and using it as a bed sheet.
Welikada Police said three suspects were arrested and several items stolen from the President’s House were recovered. The suspects were residents of Rajagiriya’s Obesekarapura area, the Police officers said.
When protesters entered the President’s House on July 9, they stole 40 gold-coloured brass balls that were mounted on the walls to hang the window curtains, according to the Police.
The suspects were arrested while they were attempting to sell them as antiques, Police Media Spokesperson Nihal Thalduwa said. 
Accordingly, last week the Police arrested 23 people in connection with these incidents. Meanwhile, Colombo Fort Magistrate Thilina Gamage ordered the Police to submit a report to the court regarding the failure to produce Rs. 17.5 million handed over to the Special Task Force (STF) officers on July 9 by the protesters who occupied the President’s House.
On Wednesday, the Colombo Fort Magistrate Court ordered four suspects arrested in suspicion of setting fire to the private residence of President Ranil Wickremesinghe and ordered that they be remanded until August 10.
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) informed court that Peter Yvonne Andrew Perera, on whom there was a foreign travel ban, would be named as the fifth suspect in this incident.
Pathum Kerner
The CID said they were making assessment reports regarding the damage to the official car of Mr. Wickremesinghe, a fire engine and three Police vehicles on the night the residence was burned. The Magistrate gave the CID permission to obtain the particular report from the Government’s Chief Assessor.
The CID also told court the investigation related to the incident was at an early stage and investigations were being conducted against the suspects under the Public Property Act (PPA) and the CID was against granting bail to the suspects at this stage.
While objecting to the use of the PPA the lawyers who appeared for the suspects also informed court that so far no evidence had been received against the suspects regarding the damage to official vehicles. They told court that in such a case their clients cannot be charged under the PPA and requested court to release them on suitable bail.
However, the Magistrate rejected the bail application and the suspects; Nalaka Perera, Sandun Kumara Herath, Melon Liyanage and Arul Prakash were further remanded. Last week, the Police also arrested several key activists involved in the anti-government protests.
On Thursday, the Colombo Chief Magistrate Court issued warrants to arrest and produce Lahiru Weerasekara and Tampitiye Sugathananda Thera for failure to appear in court.
Social media activist Pathum Kerner, who was also identified as a key activist in the anti-government protests, was arrested and remanded until August 4 by the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court.
He was arrested by the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) in connection with the violent incidents reported at the entry road to Parliament near Polduwa junction earlier this month. The Ruhuna University Students’ Union former convenor Anthony Veranga Pushpika had also been arrested and remanded till August 8 on charges of holding protests in violation of court orders and damaging public property during an anti-government protest.
The Police informed the Colombo Fort Magistrate that Mr Pushpika was arrested in front of the Fort Railway Station on Wednesday afternoon. He was arrested for holding protests in Fort on June 9 and in front of Isurupaya in Battaramulla on June 10, in violation of court orders and for damaging public property, the Police said.
Dhanish Ali, was arrested at the airport on Tuesday on a warrant when he was attempting to flee the country and Colombo Chief Magistrate Nandana Amarasinghe ordered he be remanded until tomorrow.
Mr. Ali and one of his aides forcibly entered Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC) on July 13 and disrupted a scheduled TV programme to broadcast his own message. The Colombo Chief Magistrate also barred twenty suspects involved in anti-government protests from leaving the country, including Mr. Ali and Chaminda Kelum Priya Amarasinghe, who broke into the national television channel. The magistrate also cancelled an identification parade scheduled to identify the suspects, saying that the suspects’ photos and videos had already been published in the media.
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