National program to preserve N-E archaeological sites

A special program is needed to safeguard archaeological sites in North and East Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne said. He made these remarks at the 2600th Sambuddhathva Action Committee meeting.

The Prime Minister said parallel to the national program to develop religious centres and archaeological sites in North and East, archaeological sites in the area should also be preserved.

It is reported that some Buddhist Monks in the area were threatened by treasure hunters and therefore the Sambuddhathva committee has decided to direct the attention of the security forces regarding the issue, he said.

Prime Minister Jayaratne said when allocating land for North and East civilians, steps should be taken to prevent the archaeological sites from being destroyed.

There are 289 Buddhist temples in North and East and 88 sites which possess archaeological relevance have already been identified.