In an official government’s statement, Secretary Somarathne Vidanapathirana of the Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious & Cultural Affairs says: ‘It was significant that this first Sri Lankan request was taken up by before the independent commission appointed by the Dutch government to assess and facilitate the return of colonial objects to their respective countries of origin.’
Director-general of the Department of National Museums, Sanuja Kasthuriaracchchi, says: ‘It is heartening to see these cultural symbols which mirror the cleverness of Sri Lankan artists of yesteryear, reclaiming their due pride in their land of birth’.
Several newspapers in Sri Lanka, among them Daily Mirror, have published the return of six objects that currently are in Rijksmuseum Amsterdam.
