Govt. moves to tighten foreign travel rules for monks

Colombo, May 2 (Daily Mirror) - The government is moving to strictly enforce and update regulations governing the foreign travel of Buddhist monks, aiming to restore order and address serious misconduct within the clergy.

Deputy Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious, and Cultural Affairs Gamagedara Dissanayake said that the ministry will ensure laws are properly implemented for monks intending to travel abroad.

A system previously existed requiring any monk travelling internationally to obtain recommendations from their chief monk, regional Nayaka Thera and the Mahanayake Theras (chief prelates) of their respective chapter.

However, Minister Dissanayake admitted that for various reasons, this process had become disorganised over time. The government is now taking steps to reinstate and effectively implement this procedure for all future foreign travel by monks.

This decision follows lengthy discussions between registrars representing all chapters (Nikayas) of the clergy and the President. During these meetings, numerous issues regarding the conduct of monks were discussed, resulting in a firm agreement that obtaining prior permission from chief prelates must be mandatory before any foreign travel.

The Deputy Minister referred to the recent arrest of 21 monks linked to drug trafficking as a deeply unfortunate situation, highlighting the need for stronger measures to prevent such incidents from recurring.

While assuring that the law will take its proper course concerning the arrested monks, he said that broader systemic reforms are underway. As a result, detailed discussions were held earlier this week with chapter registrars, the Attorney General, and officials from the Buddhasasana Ministry. Proposals have already been put forward to fast-track amendments to the Vihara Devalagam Ordinance.