Govt moves to tighten overseas travel rules for monks after major drug bust

Under the new rules, monks must get recommendations from their senior monk (Guru Hamuduruwo), the local Buddhist leader, and the Mahanayaka Thero of their Nikaya. While this requirement was in place before, it had not been enforced strictly in recent years. Dissanayake mentioned that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake discussed the issue with the Registrar Theros, highlighting the need for strict adherence to these procedures. The Mahanayaka Theros have also been updated on the new enforcement measures. Additionally, there was a high-level meeting on Thursday (29) involving Registrar Theros, the Attorney General, and officials from the Ministry of Buddhasasana. They reviewed urgent changes to the Buddhist Temporalities Ordinance. Officials talked about giving a committee led by the Mahanayaka Theros the power to handle disciplinary actions in such cases, as outlined in Sections 41 and 42 of the Ordinance. Government sources indicate that this policy change aims to improve oversight of monastic travel and protect the reputation of the Buddhist clergy, especially after recent troubling events. More discussions are planned before presenting the proposed amendments formally. According to the Judicial Medical Officer, 19 of the 22 arrested monks tested positive for drug use. The suspects were apprehended after arriving at BIA with 112 kgs of Kush cannabis and Hashish, valued at over Rs. 110 million.