Venerable Ampitiye Sumanarathana Thero has been remanded until September 8 after being produced before the Batticaloa Magistrate’s Court, Ada Derana and the Daily Mirror reported on Monday.
The monk was arrested earlier the same day by the Batticaloa Police in connection with an incident in which he allegedly obstructed the duties of officers at the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau office in Batticaloa.
Neither outlet gave further particulars — the date of the alleged obstruction, the officers involved, the matter being dealt with at the Bureau office and the charges police intend to pursue were not reported. Nor was it reported whether bail was sought or refused.
Background
Ampitiye Sumanarathana Thero is among the most prominent Buddhist clergy figures in the Eastern Province and has long been associated with Sinhala nationalist circles in Batticaloa. In May he announced in a video statement that he was leaving what he called the “Rajapaksa Nikaya” and extending his support to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, after meeting the President during a visit to Batticaloa.
The Geological Survey and Mines Bureau is the state agency that licenses and regulates mining and mineral extraction, including sand and gravel permits — a recurring source of local disputes in the Eastern Province.
The Daily Mirror picked up the story only at the remand stage, several hours after Ada Derana reported the arrest. Neither Hiru News nor NewsFirst had carried it at the time of writing.
Update, September 8: remanded until September 11
The Batticaloa Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday further remanded the monk until September 11, Hiru News reported.
The original order had held him only until Tuesday, September 8. When prison authorities produced him before the court on that date, police told the court that investigations into the alleged obstruction at the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau were not yet concluded. Considering the facts presented, the court extended the remand to September 11 and postponed the case to that date.
Hiru News is the first outlet other than Ada Derana and Daily Mirror to file on the case, and it still does not say what the alleged obstruction consisted of, on what date it occurred, or which officers were involved — the questions left open when the arrest was first reported.
