Facelift for Queen Victoria statue in Colombo

A statue of Queen Victoria in Colombo has been taken off its plinth for renovation, ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) to be held there next month. The statue was moved from its original location seven years ago and placed in an inconspicuous position. But the authorities say it will now be given more prominence.

The statue of Britain's longest-reigning monarch dates from 1897, the year of her Diamond Jubilee.

It was placed in gardens adjoining the residence of the governor-general of what was then the British colony of Ceylon.

The building in Colombo's Fort - became the presidential palace in 1972. But the palace has barely been used by Sri Lanka's Presidents. Local reports say one reason is that the statue was widely considered to bring bad luck.

There are also structural issues - the one president who did live there reportedly had to move his bed when it rained because of a leaking roof.

In 2006, the Queen Victoria statue was relocated to a new site near the back entrance to the National Museum, but not facing any public thoroughfare. After the renovation work, it will be placed near that site, but looking across a busy road into the city's main park - once called Victoria Park, but renamed Viharamahadevi Park, after a Sri Lankan queen, in 1958.

-BBC