Sri Lanka governor demolishes British heritage in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 September 2011, 21:14 GMT]
Part of a landmark heritage complex at the Old Park in Jaffna, the residency buildings of the British Government Agents, dating back to the beginnings of British rule, was demolished overnight on Wednesday at the orders of the occupying Sri Lanka governor in Jaffna, Maj. Gen. G.A. Chandrasri, despite the SL Archaeology Department declaring it a heritage site, preventing any demolitions. The SL governor is already building a mansion for the occupying governors in that location at a cost of 100 million Rs, news sources in Jaffna said. Both SL President Rajapaksa and his governor give utmost importance to the symbolism in showing who are colonial masters now, by building a mansion for the SL president at the ‘King’s House’ inside the Dutch Fort and by building a governor’s mansion at the complex of the former British Residence.
On 2 September the SL Archaeology Department through a Gazette Notification has declared the location a heritage site and has ordered against any demolitions.

When demolition workers came to the site, the Sri Lanka Government Agent of Jaffna Ms. Imelda Sugumar informed relevant ministries and stopped the demolition for a while.

But during the night, the demolition squad of the Jaffna Municipality came again and razed down the structures to the foundation, leaving only a bathing tank called ‘Queen’s Bath’ that was part of the British residency.

The demolition work continued for the second day on Thursday and the tractors of the Municipality were engaged in removing the old building stones, Imelda Sugumar said.         
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