MONETABRIEF – Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has described the campaign demanding a pardon for the controversial Buddhist monk Gnanasara as a diversionary tactic by opposition politicians facing prosecution for bribery and corruption.

Addressing a public rally in Badulla on Sunday, the President made it clear that he would not intervene to overturn a Supreme Court decision sentencing the 51-year-old monk to a second term of imprisonment for contempt of court.

The President accused opposition politicians of attempting to whip up racial tensions while seeking a pardon for the Venerable Gnanasara, whose imprisonment for the remaining six years of a sentence, following an earlier pardon, was ruled invalid.

"When we act against drug dens and build national harmony, the old racist elements create trouble and try to disrupt things," Dissanayake said.

"That is the situation today. And remember: those disturbances are being amplified by media channels, and those same old factions are still out there."

He said at least two media channels in the country were linked to the narcotics trade, with one having historical connections to drug dealers. He did not name either channel but said people knew which ones they were.

"Those who received protection from drug networks and those who benefited from the underworld -- those who gained money, vehicles or land -- are alarmed.

"They say, ‘Oh no, we must not let this Government continue.’ That is because they are being arrested. That is why they use media channels to create alarm. Some of those channels have a history tied to these narcotics networks.

"The entire criminal network is connected: some are politicians, some are shady businessmen, some are underworld figures, and some own media outlets. Keep that in mind," the President said.

Dissanayake said Buddhist monks demanding a fresh pardon for the Venerable Gnanasara were being led by opposition elements who were under investigation for bribery and corruption committed while they were in power.

He said he would not interfere with court decisions, meaning that he would not release the monk, who had previously also been convicted and imprisoned for inciting racial and religious hatred.

"When the Supreme Court hands down a decision, people shout, ‘No — we’ll change that law!’ and they rise up. Where, then, does the law operate? There cannot be a country where laws are made and not applied.

"We submit to the decisions of the courts. Beyond that, nobody should try to undermine or subvert those rulings. Only then can we build a country that offers protection to our children."

The Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the Easter Sunday attacks heard that both Gnanasara’s Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) and Sri Lanka Thowheed Jamath had been established by Military Intelligence around 2012 as part of its strategic operations.

The Commission recommended banning the BBS, as well as a breakaway faction of the SLTJ, the National Thowheeth Jama’ath, which eventually carried out the bombings of 21 April 2019 that killed 279 people and wounded over 500. (Colombo/18 October 2026)