Venerable Thiniyawala Palitha Thera, Chief Sanghanayaka of the Bentara Chapter of the Maha Vihaarawanshika Kotte Sri Kalyani Samagri Dharma Maha Sangha Sabhawa, has publicly apologised for remarks he made earlier this week criticising the overseas travel restriction imposed on former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Newswire reported on Friday.
Addressing the media, the senior monk said his condemnatory comments were made at a press conference on June 3 and clarified that he had not intended to disrespect the judiciary. He said he had spoken purely on humanitarian grounds and had not been aware at the time that the restriction on Rajapaksa was a court order rather than an administrative measure.
Expressing deep regret, Ven. Palitha Thera emphasised that as a monk he always respects the law, and said he was withdrawing his earlier statement and apologising for any misunderstanding caused.
The travel ban at the centre of the controversy was imposed by the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court on June 3 in connection with the long-running criminal investigation into the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks. The order, sought by the Criminal Investigation Department after a confidential information report was submitted to the bench, formally restricts Rajapaksa — who served as Defence Secretary at the time of the attacks and later as President — from leaving the country while inquiries continue.
