Police arrest suspect who allegedly vandalized Komagata Maru memorial in Vancouver

Police say a suspect has been arrested and charged after allegedly vandalizing a Komagata Maru memorial in Vancouver last summer.

The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) said Yuniar Kurniawan was found in the city's Downtown Eastside on Monday and taken into custody after a provincial warrant was issued in January for mischief charges.

Kurniawan, whose age in January was 39, is accused of defacing the memorial with white paint in August 2021.

Located in Vancouver's Coal Harbour neighbourhood, the memorial acknowledges a racist chapter in Canada's history. When it was vandalized, questions were raised about whether it was an intentional hate crime.

Nearly 400 South Asian immigrants were aboard the Komagata Maru, anchored just off Coal Harbour in 1914, when it was turned away from Canada due to exclusion laws.

VPD launched an investigation on Aug. 22, after people began posting pictures on social media showing white paint, hand prints and graffiti plastered on the memorial, which includes the names of the ship's occupants. The white hand prints were covering those names.

"This crime reverberated throughout the community because of what this memorial reveals about our past and the steps we have taken to become a more inclusive community," said Sgt. Steve Addison in January when the warrant was issued for Kurniawan's arrest.

Police said investigators were able to gather important evidence from the scene and were able to identify Kurniawan after people began discussing the crime on social media.