Metal Detecting in Sri-Lanka

Being a regular visitor to S/Lanka Years ago I decided to write to the High Commissioner of S/L and ask for permission to take my MD with me on my next visit which was New years eve 2005,I duly wrote to the High Comm asking for permission which he readily gave provided that I put down a deposit which I was to pick up when I was leaving after my Holiday,My friend and guide on this trip had arranged with a local guide at a Temple site close to Colombo, when we arrived there I got out my MD and we met with a guide from the Temple who showed me where I could use the MD, I had just started to detect when a very large S/Lankan man confronted me by raising his arm and calling out STOP you are Treasure Hunters and must leave, at which point I got out my written permission and showed it to him. He then insisted that we accompany him to the local Police Station where I was to be arrested, by the time we reached there it was about 11pm and New Year in S/Lanka is to say the least very hot so we were driven to the police station where we showed our permission to them. After being questioned and our car searched for TREASURE we were handed the phone and asked to speak to the local Budhist Monk who wanted me to hand over the machine to him and he promised to send us on our way without further incident, I told him that there was no way that I would do that and I said that I would ring the Australian consul but I was advised that I could take my machine and leave , much to my delight, All I can say is don't try to detect in S/Lanka as it is not going to work. The fact that I had been a Magistrate in Australia stood me in good stead but I have never tried it again.Oneill