Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa was admitted to a private hospital yesterday morning (12).

Meanwhile, former First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa, who is currently in remand custody at Welikada Prison, has been admitted to the Cardiology Unit of the National Hospital in Colombo.

“JVP did not bomb Dalada Maligawa; it seized weapons from security personnel stationed there”

By S. K. Samaranayake

Most Venerable Tibbotuwawe Sri Sumangala Mahanayake Thera of the Malwathu Chapter yesterday said the President has assured that a final decision on new prison regulations would be taken withn two weeks and until then whenever bhikkhus were produced before court, they must be allowed to wear robes. The monk said the Mahanayaka Thera has written to the Commissioner General of Prisons about their decision.

The Mahanayake Thera said so when SJB MPs, led by General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara, paid a courtesy call on him.

During the meeting, the Mahanayake Thera expressed the following views:

“Currently, a massive campaign is underway on social media to insult and disrespect the Maha Sangha. Some individuals carrying out these attacks are not linked to any political party. We expected the government to intervene and completely put an end to this, which is entirely possible. Laws should be introduced to control this. The insults directed at monks must be stopped immediately. We cannot accept these acts, no matter who commits them. We even saw fabricated images circulated on social media depicting the President in robes and monks in lay attire. Such disrespect is completely unacceptable and must be curbed.

“We also know that some individuals currently representing Parliament have past ties to the Sasana. All we ask is for the mudslinging and insults targeting monks to be halted immediately. Certain elements continue to spread falsehoods about the government. Before this administration came to power, they claimed temples were finished, Buddhism was over, and the Perahera wouldn’t take place. But didn’t they just conduct the Kandy Perahera brilliantly?

“Various people are even complaining about the Casket (Karanduwa) of the Dalada Maligawa. In particular, we saw former Diyawadana Nilame Niranjan Wijeratne criticising the matter. Much of what he said was false. During his tenure, the previous casket was coated in lacquer, which nobody talks about. Replacing the old brass casket with a golden casket is a very commendable step what is wrong with that? Just as items from royal eras are retired and modern equivalents are put to use, the older casket has been given due respect and securely housed. There is no issue there. Some people claim the JVP bombed the Maligawa too. Nothing of the sort happened; it was LTTE terrorists who bombed the temple. The JVP merely seized weapons from the security personnel stationed there.”

Meanwhile, speaking during the visit, SJB General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara and other parliamentarians charged that the current administration is laying the groundwork to turn the country into a secular state.

“It is impossible to introduce new laws for monks within two weeks; it takes much longer,” Bandara noted. “The President has the authority to issue an interim directive that any monk presented to court must appear in robes, but he chooses not to do so because he does not want to. Everyone who speaks out against this is targeted and smeared on social media, driven by a network of 2,000 to 3,000 social media operators tied to the government who attack and insult me. Even during the case of Father Mathew Peiris, who committed murder, his clerical cassock was not stripped. Inside the prison religious leaders were respected.

“The public base of this current government is rapidly eroding as a result of their actions, which is why they are attempting to strike at Buddhism to secure minority votes. Any government is constitutionally bound to protect the Buddha Sasana. We will not allow them to destroy Buddhism and turn this country secular; we will defend Buddhism to the very last, and all Sri Lankans must step forward for this cause.”

Following their meeting at the Malwathu Chapter, the delegation proceeded to the Asgiri Mahavihara, where they met the Mahanayake Thera of the Asgiri Chapter, Most Venerable Warakagoda Sri Gnanaratana Mahanayake Thera, and Anunayake Venerable Narampanaye Sri Ananda Thera to brief them on the current situation.

The delegation included SJB Parliamentarians Ranjith Madduma Bandara, Kins Nelson, Sujeewa Senasinghe, A.C. Alahapperuma, Rohana Bandara, Suranga Ratnayake, Rohini Kaviratne, Chandrani Kirielle, alongside prominent figures such as Lakshman Kiriella, Wasantha Yapa Bandara, Ranjith Aluwihare, and Professor Upul Dissanayake.

Convenor of Janathawadi Joint Opposition Prof. G. L. Peiris yesterday (12) urged President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to pardon Ven. Galagodaththe Gnanasara.

Prof. Peiris said that the primary issue was the annulment of presidential pardon granted to Ven. Gnanasara by President Maithripala Sirisena, in May 2019.

Addressing the media at the Flower Road Office of former President Ranil Wickremesinghe, Prof. Peiris emphasised that the real issue was not how Ven. Gnanasara was produced in court. Prof. Peiris was flanked by United Republican Front (URF) leader Patali Champika Ranawaka and UNP Chairman Wajira Abeywardena.

Declaring that was a secondary issue, Prof. Peiris said that as the Mahanayakes wanted President Dissanayake could exercise authority to grant presidential pardon to the General Secretary of Bodu Bala Sena (BBS).

Referring to the annulment of the presidential pardon granted to Ven. Gnanasara by a three-judge Supreme Court bench, consisting of Justices Janak De Silva, Dr. Sobhitha Rajakaruna, and Sampath B. Abayakoon, Prof. Peiris said that the recipient of that pardon shouldn’t be held responsible for technical/administrative lapses. Therefore, President Dissanayake could settle the issue by releasing the monk.

The three judge bench unanimously ruled that the 2019 pardon was arbitrary, unlawful, violated public trust and natural justice, and infringed upon Article 12(1) of the Constitution (the right to equality). Prof. Peiris said that President Sirisena released Ven. Gnanasara on the request of Mahanayaka theras and other Maha Sangha.

Prof. Peiris said that the action taken by the government to produce Ven. Gnanasara reflected a far bigger problem than what received the public attention. The former minister also rejected the appointment of a committee to amend rules and regulations governing inmates as a bid to divert public attention. According to him, there was absolutely no need for such a committee as the existing rules and regulations in this regard were clear (SF)