Senior Sri Lankan monk arrested for alleged child sex crimes
Summary
A leading Buddhist monk in Sri Lanka, Pallegama Hemarathana, was arrested for allegedly sexually abusing an 11-year-old girl in 2022. The monk and the victim’s mother, who is accused of helping him, were both taken into custody as the police continue their investigation.Key Facts
- Pallegama Hemarathana is a 71-year-old senior Buddhist monk from Colombo.
- He is accused of sexually abusing a child at a respected temple in Anuradhapura.
- The victim’s mother was also arrested for assisting the monk.
- Hemarathana was arrested at a private hospital in Colombo while undergoing treatment.
- He holds leadership roles in eight important temples and is custodian of a sacred Bodhi tree sapling.
- A court ordered police to arrest him without delay after concerns about a slow response.
- There have been previous cases of child abuse by clergy in Sri Lanka, but this is the highest-ranking monk involved.
- Recently, 22 monks were arrested at Colombo airport for drug smuggling, showing ongoing issues in the religious community.
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