Senior Sri Lankan monk suspended over child sex abuse allegation
Summary
A senior Sri Lankan Buddhist monk, Pallegama Hemarathana, has been suspended after being accused of sexually abusing an 11-year-old girl in 2022. The monk was arrested but later released on bail, and Sri Lanka’s main Buddhist council suspended him while legal proceedings continue.Key Facts
- Pallegama Hemarathana is 71 years old and a prominent monk in Sri Lanka.
- He was accused of sexually abusing an 11-year-old girl at a famous Buddhist temple.
- He was arrested on May 9 while at a hospital in Colombo.
- The Council of Monks suspended him from his duties during the investigation.
- The victim’s mother was also arrested for helping the monk.
- Hemarathana was given bail but is not allowed to travel abroad.
- The case is rare and high-profile in Sri Lanka’s religious community.
- On the same day, 22 other monks were arrested for drug smuggling but were not suspended.
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