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Sri Lankan authorities arrested a elder Buddhist monk connected Saturday for the alleged intersexual maltreatment of an underage girl, constabulary said, marking the highest-profile lawsuit involving clergy successful the country.
Pallegama Hemarathana, 71, was arrested astatine a backstage infirmary successful the superior Colombo wherever helium had sought attraction implicit the play amid an probe into the alleged maltreatment of the 11-year-old miss successful 2022.
The transgression is alleged to person taken spot astatine a highly venerated temple successful Anuradhapura, astir 125 miles northbound of Colombo, wherever Hemarathana is the main priest. The past metropolis is recognized arsenic a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
"We volition beryllium guided by the magistrate connected further action," a constabulary connection said Saturday.
The monk volition soon beryllium presented earlier a judge.
Authorities added that the victim's parent has besides been arrested for aiding and abetting the monk.
The improvement comes a time aft a section tribunal successful Anuradhapura imposed a overseas question prohibition connected the monk.
He has not publically commented connected the charges and is scheduled to look successful tribunal connected Tuesday, the BBC reported.
There person been respective cases of clergy abusing children successful Sri Lanka, but the latest apprehension involves the astir elder monk to beryllium accused of specified a crime.
The 71-year-old is the main custodian of a histrion believed to person been grown from a sapling of the Bodhi tree successful India that sheltered the Buddha erstwhile helium attained enlightenment much than 2,500 years ago.
This representation taken connected May 19, 2023 shows monk Pallegama Hemarathana, the main custodian of the past bodhi tree, showing recently sprouting leaves of the beatified histrion astatine Sri Maha Bodhi temple successful Anuradhapura.
ISHARA S. KODIKARA/AFP via Getty Images
He is besides the main of 8 highly venerated temples that are connected a cardinal Buddhist pilgrim route.
The apprehension comes conscionable days aft 22 monks returning from Thailand were arrested astatine Sri Lanka's main planetary airdrome with a grounds 242 pounds of almighty cannabis.
Buddhist monks person made headlines for different alleged crimes successful caller years.
In 2025, Thai constabulary arrested a monk implicit allegations helium embezzled much than $9 cardinal from the salient temple helium ran which was funded by donations from devotees.
In 2024, Thai constabulary launched an probe of a Buddhist monastery aft authorities discovered 41 bodies on tract which were allegedly utilized for meditation practices.
In 2022, each azygous monk astatine a Buddhist temple successful cardinal Thailand was defrocked aft they tested positive for methamphetamine. The monks were sent to a wellness session to acquisition cause rehabilitation.
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