Man charged in vandalism of Vancouver Komagata Maru memorial tracked down months later

White paint and white handprints covered the large metal placards listing the names of those who were on the ship. (CTV)

The suspect in a Vancouver vandalism case has been located two months after being charged, officers announced Wednesday.

Yuniar Kurniawan was found in the city's Downtown Eastside on Monday, and taken into custody in connection with an incident that occurred in 2021.

He'd been the subject of a B.C.-wide arrest warrant in connection with his alleged role in the defacing of a memorial to passengers of the Komagata Maru. Although Kurniawan was identified and charged with one count of mischief in January, his whereabouts were unknown until recently.

Police did not say whether he remained in custody following his arrest.

The arrest comes almost exactly seven months after the launch of an investigation into an act of vandalism reported on Aug. 22.

The Komagata Maru memorial, located in the city's Coal Harbour neighbourhood, was defaced with white paint, hand prints and graffiti.

At the time, police said they were investigating the incident as a possible hate crime. The Vancouver Police Department told CTV News it is up to the court to decide whether hate, prejudice or bias was an aggravating factor in the case, if there's a conviction, and that the VPD will provide all evidence collected to the court.

A spokesperson said that because the case is now before the court, specific evidence cannot be discussed.

The memorial honours hundreds passengers who sailed to Vancouver from India in 1914, but were turned away despite being British subjects.

After spending two months living on the ship, most were forced to return home, and a riot involving the Indian Imperial Police led to the deaths of several people. 

A group representing the descendants of those who'd been on the ship said the vandalism brought back "painful memories of intolerance and racism."

A spokesperson for the Descendants of the Komagata Maru Society wrote in a statement that memorials such as this one help family members deal with the long-lasting damage of racism.

"The defacing of the Komagata Maru Memorial is a reminder that we still have a lot of work to do," the society said.

"But the diligent work of the Vancouver police does give us hope that even in the dark days we are still making progress to building a more tolerant Canada."

The group said instead of dwelling on the pain of the past, it would prefer to focus on successes including the installation across Metro Vancouver of memorials and displays acknowledging the 1914 incident.

"These memorials serve to heal the wounds of the families of the victims and help to educate Canadians about the importance of creating a more tolerant society," spokesperson Raj Singh Toor said.