President Anura Kumara Dissanayake met the Maha Sangha of the three main Nikayas at the Presidential Secretariat on Monday afternoon to discuss the arrest of 22 Buddhist monks at Bandaranaike International Airport with a 112-kilogram narcotics consignment, framing the case as evidence that the drug menace has become a national disaster.
The President said the incident clearly showed that society as a whole — not the government alone — must unite behind the ongoing anti-narcotics programme. He pledged that as the country moves towards economic and social transformation, the government would continue to prioritise safeguarding the Buddhasasana and the value system built around it.
The Inspector General of Police briefed the meeting on the circumstances of the bust and the state of the investigation, which has now broadened to include follow-on arrests in Athurugiriya and Gampaha and a JMO finding that 19 of the 22 monks tested positive for drug use.
The Maha Sangha said the joint statement they issued earlier — through the Mahanayaka Theras of the three sects — should be treated as the collective message of the entire Sangha community. They told the President that protecting the Sangha could not be achieved by monks alone and that government support was essential.
The meeting also discussed amendments to the Buddhist Temporalities Ordinance and other legal reforms needed to safeguard the Sasana. Senior monks present included Anunayake of Malwathu Maha Viharaya Niyangoda Sri Vijitha Thero and Anunayake of Asgiri Maha Viharaya Narampanawe Sri Ananda Thero.
Sources: Ada Derana, Newswire.
