Sri Lanka has asked the Netherlands to return six more historical artefacts under the second phase of a cultural restitution process, Deputy Minister Anil Jayantha Fernando said on Thursday.
Fernando made the request at the National Day Reception of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, held in Colombo on 22 October. The two countries are marking 75 years of diplomatic relations this year.
The request follows an earlier return. In December 2023 Sri Lanka received six historical artefacts from the Rijksmuseum in the Netherlands, after the two sides carried out joint research into their origins.
The items returned then were a golden kasthana, a silver kasthana, a golden knife, two Mahathuwakku (wall guns) and Lewke Disave’s cannon. They came from the Kandyan Kingdom and were acquired during the colonial period.
Fernando said the return reflected a shared commitment to mutual respect, reconciliation and the preservation of cultural heritage. He added that Sri Lanka’s recognition as a country of strategic focus under the Netherlands’ International Cultural Policy for 2025 to 2028 would strengthen cultural cooperation further.
The Deputy Minister also spoke about tourism. According to the figures he cited, Sri Lanka welcomed 2,362,521 international tourists in 2025, an increase of 15.1 percent on the previous year. The Netherlands ranked ninth among Sri Lanka’s source markets, with 64,164 Dutch visitors.
Background
Sri Lanka and the Netherlands have had contact for more than four centuries, but formal diplomatic relations were established only in 1951. Fernando said cooperation over the past 75 years has grown to cover trade, investment, development, education, tourism, culture and maritime affairs.
He said the Netherlands has supported Sri Lanka in agriculture, fisheries, rural development, water supply, healthcare, disaster management and food security. The two governments held a Second Round of Political Consultations in The Hague in October 2025, and the Foreign Ministers of both countries have also held discussions.
Looking ahead, Fernando named sustainable maritime development, ocean governance, maritime security, port development and the blue economy as key areas for future cooperation.
What it means
If the Netherlands agrees to the second phase, more objects from the Kandyan Kingdom could return to Sri Lanka, where they can be studied and shown to the public. The request does not name the six items, and no timetable for a decision was given.
For Sri Lankans abroad, including the community in the Netherlands, the process is one example of how museums in Europe are reviewing objects acquired during the colonial period. For the tourism sector, the figures show the Netherlands as a smaller but established source of visitors.
