Sri Lankan Court Issues Arrest Warrant for Monk Athuraliye Rathana

Colombo, August 18 (PTI): A Sri Lankan court has issued an arrest warrant for prominent Buddhist monk and former lawmaker, Athuraliye Rathana. Police sources report that the Nugegoda Magistrate's Court took this action regarding Rathana, who is currently evading arrest related to an ongoing investigation concerning the 2020 abduction of a fellow Buddhist monk.

Monk Vedinigama Wimalathissa has accused Rathana of orchestrating his abduction in 2020 with the alleged intention of coercing him into signing documents. These documents would have facilitated Rathana's appointment to parliament through the Ape Janabala Party's solitary seat following the parliamentary elections in August 2020.

Authorities report that they attempted to locate Rathana at his residence in the city earlier this month, but he has since disappeared. Rathana, known for his firebrand nationalist stance, was one of nine monks elected to parliament in the 2004 parliamentary election and served as a member until September 2024.

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