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Sri Lankan Court Bans Monk Pallegama Hemarathana From Foreign Travel Over 2022 Child Sex Abuse Allegations
Pallegama Hemarathana, 71, chief priest of a major temple in Anuradhapura and custodian of eight sacred Buddhist sites, was arrested Saturday at a private hospital in Colombo. A local court had imposed a foreign travel ban the previous day, and the country's child protection authority submitted information that led to his detention.
May 9, 11:09 PM·1m read2 sources
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Sri Lankan police arrested 71-year-old Buddhist monk Pallegama Hemarathana on Saturday at a private hospital in Colombo where he was receiving treatment. The monk, who serves as chief priest of the Sri Maha Bodhi temple in Anuradhapura, had been named a suspect in the alleged sexual abuse of an 11-year-old girl that occurred in 2022 at the temple, which is located approximately 125 miles north of Colombo and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
According to court officials, a magistrate in Anuradhapura imposed a foreign travel ban on the monk one day before the arrest. The country’s National Child Protection Authority provided information that led to the arrest after previously criticising police for failing to apprehend him despite his identification as a suspect.
The magistrate ordered that Pallegama Hemarathana be transferred to the Colombo prison hospital and directed immigration authorities to prevent any attempt to leave the country.
The alleged victim’s mother was arrested on charges of aiding and abetting the monk and has been remanded in custody. Pallegama Hemarathana has not made any public comment on the allegations. He is scheduled to appear in court on 12 May and again on Tuesday. A police statement said Saturday, “We will be guided by the magistrate on further action.”
The monk holds the position of chief custodian of eight sacred Buddhist sites in Sri Lanka, including the Sri Maha Bodhi, a tree believed to have been grown from a sapling of the Bodhi tree in India under which the Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment more than 2,500 years ago. These sites form part of a major Buddhist pilgrimage route.
