COLOMBO, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's cabinet of ministers has approved a proposal to appoint a committee to take steps for the repatriation for stolen Sri Lankan artifacts from various countries, a statement from the government information department said on Tuesday.
According to relevant UNESCO convention, any cultural property currently in the possession of a foreign country can be asked for return, said the statement.
The government of the Netherlands has decided to return the artifacts taken from its former colonial countries and currently deposited in the Dutch state museums to the countries that own the artifacts, said the statement.
A research project has been conducted with the participation of the museum department and independent researchers regarding six such artifacts in the Netherlands and it has been confirmed that all the artifacts were brought from Sri Lanka during the colonial period, according to the statement.
Sri Lanka has already made a diplomatic request to bring back the artifacts, it said. ■
