Prominent Buddhist monk arrested over alleged sexual abuse in Sri Lanka
Updated on: May 11, 2026 / 6:17 AM EDT / CBS/AFP
TL;DR
- Pallegama Hemarathana, 71, a senior Buddhist monk in Sri Lanka, was arrested for alleged sexual abuse of an underage girl.
- The alleged abuse occurred in 2022 at a temple in Anuradhapura, where Hemarathana is the chief priest.
- The victim's mother has also been arrested for aiding and abetting the monk.
- Hemarathana is the chief custodian of a sacred Bodhi tree sapling and oversees eight venerated temples.
- The arrest follows a travel ban imposed on the monk by a local court.
- Recent years have seen other cases involving Buddhist clergy in Sri Lanka and Thailand, including drug offenses and embezzlement.