Two westerners who tried to steal rare plants from the Horton Plains national park have been fined Rs. 85,000 each by Nuwara Eliya magistrate S. G. Kariyawasam.
A Sri Lankan was fined Rs. 60,000 for helping the couple.
It was revealed that the two Irish nationals had been involved in such thefts during their previous trips to Sri Lanka too.
It was alleged that earlier thefts took place in Polonnaruwa, Giritale, Arugam Bay, Siyambalanduwa, Sinharaja and Hakgala national parks.
Park caretaker P U Saranga produced the suspects in court.
They were charged with unlawful entry into the park, theft of rare plants and obstructing public officials from carrying out their duties.
The two foreigners were identified as Howald Fox, 45, and Maria Cuplen, 35. The local helper is 23-year-old Dharshana Mallawa.
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| The suspects being brought to court and (below) some of the endemic plants |
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