Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to satate :-
(a) whether recently in February this year, a mob of religious extremists destroyed images, mostly of Buddha and Hindu Gods, kept in Maldives national museum;
(b) if so, whether 99 per cent of the Maldive’s pre -Islamic artifacts belonging to period before the Twelfth century, when most inhabitants were Buddhist or Hindu, were also destroyed;
(c) if so, whether this issue has been raised with the Government of Maldives;
(d) if so, the details thereof; and
(e) if not, the reasons therefor?
ANSWER: THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS (SHRI E. AHAMED)
(a) to (e) There have been reports that some artifacts at the National Museum in Male, Maldives, belonging to the pre-Islamic era in Maldives, were damaged or destroyed in incidents of violence in February 2012. The matter was taken up by the External Affairs Minister with the Foreign Minister of Maldives during latter’s visit to India on 3 April 2012. Earlier, during his visit to Maldives on 15 & 16 February 2012, the Foreign Secretary had also taken up the matter with the President of Maldives and conveyed our concerns. The President of Maldives had indicated that the damage and destruction to the artifacts in the National Museum would be inquired into.