Customs has released three out of five books authored by Theepachelvan Piratheepan, which were detained in late March over allegations that their content could "damage national harmony."

Commenting to The Daily Morning yesterday (22), Customs Media Spokesperson Chandana Punchihewa said that following recommendations, the books have already been released. "We are asked not to release the other two books. We don’t know the content it holds. It is on the recommendations that we act upon," he said.

Amidst widespread controversy that has erupted among artists on social media platforms, after it was unofficially reported the recommendations were issued by the Arts Council, questions have been raised regarding the legal liability, authority, and even the propriety of the Arts Council to issue direct recommendations to the Customs to release or detain literature, in a context where members of society hold mixed attitudes toward the decision. The Daily Morning queried whether the decision was solely based on the recommendations issued by the Arts Council.

In response, Punchihewa replied that it is not a direction of an individual party but a collective decision of the Defence Ministry as well.

He added the other two books at the Customs will remain detained. "If the Customs receives an appeal and at that appeal the Government decides to reconsider the decision, the Customs will reconsider releasing. Also, if the author chooses to go to a court of law, dissatisfied by the detention and the court decides to release it, the books will be released," he said.

In late March, 360 copies of novels by Piratheepan, which were imported from Chennai, India, were subsequently detained by the Customs. Although the reason for withholding was reported as possible damage to national harmony, some of these books were seen in online bookstalls in Sri Lanka already, and one of the books has been translated into Sinhala as well. Furthermore, historian Prof. Nirmal Ranjith Dewasiri had made a comment on social media about the futility of detaining printed books in the digital age, stating that it would be an encouragement for the readership to find the book and read it. 

Repeated attempts by The Daily Morning to contact the Chairperson of the Arts Council, Keerthi Welisarage regarding the content of the two books that are being recommended by the Arts Council to be detained, proved futile.