By Colombo Telegraph –
Pahalagama Somaratana Thero with President Rajapakse
Pahalagama Somaratana Thero, chief incumbent of Thames Buddhist Vihara, Croydon, has been charged with four counts of sexual abuse, the Metropolitan police said.
The alleged rape and three counts of indecent assault said to have happened, in 1977 and 1978, in Chiswick, west London
The 65-year-old Pahalagama Somaratana from Dulverton Rd, Croydon, will appear on bail at Feltham Magistrates’ Court on 23 September.
There was no immediate response from Thames Buddhist Vihara, which is one of the major Sri Lankan Buddhist temples in London.
Velu (sumana) / September 20, 2011
Cheeeeeeee keeee, Kamesu michchachaara.
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Buddhist / September 20, 2011
please don not insult religion because of an individuals mistake, very few monk their who follow real buddhism. we, as general publice are responsibale for this by leeting these type of charectors to run theit business, the sanga rules are above the constitution, why our sanga will not your their code of bikku ethis to expel thease from their biik list.
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Prema Gamage / September 21, 2011
You never say that this is a “mistake” please.
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Raja Hevawasam / September 22, 2011
Some people misunderstood the this as something to do with Buddhism and Lord Buddhas teachings.Please keep in mind this individual has acted upon his own will and now he have to face the consequences.There is nothing to do with Buddhism and Lord Buddha.Even those who have worship him as a monk , and those who have supported him with finnancial assisstance are (with or without knowing him) should be held responsible for keeping blind eye.
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Patachaara Boralasgamuwa / September 20, 2011
This is Theravada hypocrisy. be Mahayana and fuck. then you don’t need to rape women/ child abuse / samanera abuse !! be honest.
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nishanthi / September 22, 2011
of course the TRUTH REMAINS. Why should anybody disgrace the phylosophy ? The human body will need basic requirements to be fulfilled unless otherwise it is trully controlled and you have the self confidence for that. When we try to cheat ourselves and pretend to be some one else -one day the real ME come out. It is a joke that most of us use the word MISTAKE for everything.
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Rosy Silva - Swiss / September 20, 2011
Sri Lankan media is dead silence on this issue. probably Rajapaksa ordered not to. :) :D
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Prarthana Kelaniya / September 21, 2011
Time has come for our pious Buddhist Monks to come forward as one sect, NO more of this nikayas (Siyam, Amarapura, Ramannya etc) and do a complete clean up and disrobe all the crooks who live without obeying the vinaya rules. If you don’t, we will lose our most valuable treasure “Buddhism” from Sri Lanka.
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Su Fernando / September 22, 2011
I think you are probably absolutely correct on that assumption.
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Devadaththa / September 20, 2011
This is the real Bhuddism. Sri Lankan ladies are responsible for that. They are worshipping and giving money and and foods to these crminals and businessmen.All the B.Monks are businessmen and sex offenders. Today in all the famous monks are criminals and sex offenders. Inside temples sex farms. People go as monks because they are homosexuals. Go and worship and give free foods to these crminals. Swaranavahini lady give chnace to all the ciminal b. monks to throughy her channel. Boycott this TV channel. Thios cannel destroy Sri Lanka.
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Karuma / September 20, 2011
Like Uduwa and Sumangala try with widow and divorced ladies. Sametime keep Russian and Thai Pros inside temples. These two are thugs and Mervin and Duminda is better they soend millions for pros but B. Monks billions
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Upasaka / September 20, 2011
You seem to be having a different problem. Don’t drag all monks/temples/ and worshipers because of a TV channel. Please correct your statement and do not blame all just for one of such incidents please.
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Anthropolo / September 21, 2011
Uduwa and Sumangala and Soma’s TV channel fake monks are worse than this. Some monks has beauty saloon inside temples, bars and stationed prostitutes. Today all the famous monks are criminals and businessmen and sex is nothing for them moist are using small monks and girls, females…etc. For this mainly responsible Sri Lankan ladies who go worship, give money, foods and help to build palace (Villas) for them. For example in Sumangala’s Pannipitiya temple female nons sleep to night and per meal over 75 people. Every body knows who is Uduwa fake monk. Most monks are now pay compensations for ladies for kids they fathered. Where so called University Sociology Profs. Do not have any sound from them. Because they are fake profs. Some monks are even teaching in Universities business subject: How to cheat others and how to make money. Mhainda Rrajapaksha is the responsible for all these.
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Prema Gamage / September 21, 2011
we need this kind of Dewadaththas. good. But do not agree that women in Sri Lanka responsible for this criminal offence. This man is responsible, not any one else.
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Arthur Gunawardena / September 22, 2011
Never said a truer word! I applaud your honesty. It is high time that misguided devotees see these monks in their true light. Most of the sangha are the same. Very few exceptions.
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Vanacharaya / September 20, 2011
Are there any real Buddhists in Sri Lanka,who follows the real teaching of Boudha, all are fake boudhists but they criticise boudists monks as they have already attained nirwana, anyway DSK the imf chef and Roman Polonski are they victims or culprits,sri lankans never undestand the western hipcracy and media tactics
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Channa amathiya / September 20, 2011
When the reputed Buddhist Monks do these things Mervin and others say we shoudl not eat BEEF and sacrifice animals in our Kovils? What a hyporacy is this? Buddhism does not work in this country anymore.
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asela / September 20, 2011
if this story is truth,who arrange mahinda’s temple tour?nw this is under the court,if court is fare they will give a better solution this.DONT FOGET, MEDIA NEED ‘VERY TASTE’ STORIES!!!!!!
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Temple Spy / September 20, 2011
Asela, Tell us more!! who?, what?, when?
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Dammika Siriwardena / September 20, 2011
I never spred bab news on others,coz i belive i will never get a good name in society if we insult others,see inside of yours,if u send this msg with anger inside you,that means u spred negative from you
i never do that
if u have feeling to get peoples love and love form people aroud you dont do it
try to love the people
even they r week
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Dammika Siriwardena / September 20, 2011
there will be 99% monk will be wrong,but 1% if he is not a victim,these period britsh wants to bring issues to our country. also wanna say don’t try to make the world make your self perfect wiorl will be perfect for you then
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Gal Dharamapala / September 21, 2011
THIS STORY VERY GOOD EXAMPLE FOR OTHER BUDDHIST MONKSWHO LIVE IN OR OUT SIDE OF SRI LANKA .LIVING SRI LANKAN MONKS ESCAPE THIS KIND OF INCIDENCE BECAUSE OF POLITICIANS. THANK YOU LADY WHO CAME FORWARD.
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Renuka Siriwardena. / September 20, 2011
I know the lady. she is very respected women in UK. very famous. well educated. she was not allowed to take action by her father. now father is passed away. she took an action. thanks for her. very courages women. every body must respect her.
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Piyal Kadugannawa / September 20, 2011
these guys are trying to generalize this situation to all the sangha and buddhism
I’d say.. let it die down.
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Tamali kariyawasm. / September 20, 2011
I agree with Piyal, more we make a fuss better the chance everyone else have to hammer us.
what do you think?
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Croydon oththu karu / September 20, 2011
This Gnaya is a hora ganaya. his bro doing two brothels in Colombo. last Sunday there was a fight at the temple. this man is a shit and should be punished soon. keep read this comment thread. I will give u a update! :) :) :):) ;)
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Pnasale kolla / September 20, 2011
CROYDAN kiyanna ko visthare, maath danne ne hariyatama…mama giye ne godak kalekin pansala paththe.
matath ekkenek kiwwa
hamuduruwo lankawata yanna kalin arrest kara..eetapasse epa deela eliyata aran kiyala..naduwa yanawalu..
hamuduruwo kolla kale podi ewnta gal kapalada koheda.. :D
awrudu 40ta kalinda koheda unu scene ekak thamai kiyana vidihata adila thiyenne.. case 3kda koheda thiyanawalu :0 :D
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Salli achchu gahapu abiththaya / September 21, 2011
I’ve been to that temple in Croyden only once and decided no to go there as I realised that so called person Somarathana (shame to call him a monk) is a businessman rather than a priest. He is an exact copy of Ruwanwelle Sobitha. May the Lord Buddha save Buddhism from such people !!!
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Londoner / September 22, 2011
It’s same in many of the temples in London and UK. Most of the monks are businessmen. And there are few high profiles who earn their black money via inhuman ways come to fund these temples as they want to wash their sins. Unfortunately it’s a sad situation for all budhists in London.
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Senavi / September 20, 2011
took them 30 years! :)
wonder if they do the same for catholic priests who’ve played the choirboys.
the biggest prob in the sangha is the yatagahana syndrome
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Susan Thomas / September 22, 2011
With Catholic priests it took ‘only’ hundreds of years – and Pope Alexander VI (between 1493-1503) had a mistress called Julia who continued to visit the Papal Palace and with he had a daughter called Julia. ;-))
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giulia_Farnese
Yatagahanawa is not only sangha – Europe is still not able to be open about the church & boys – lots of trying and lot of ‘yatagahanawa’.
SInhalese are ‘niwata’ – talk bad about their own and respect the foreign – still under colonial rule in their minds. Sad.
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Bamunuwita Kamal / September 22, 2011
A Buddhist priest should have never behavee like this. If they can’t sacrifice their lives for the Buhhisam. If they want to do things as the others, they should leave their robe and become a gihiya. I understand that this priest is fully responsible for his act. I am not sure how old was this lady at the time this happened. But for her to think that her father will be devastated about this news, she should have been in a age that she understands well, not a toddler. Why couldn’t she escape when this priest was trying to molester/rape her? She should have threaten him saying that she will tell her parents and the temple community. One of the comments above says that some priests are paying compensations for ladies who have children from them. Why would women go to the temple and sleep with Buddhist priests. For this, the women should take full responsibility for behaving like prostitues more than the Buddhist priests. I have seen the women go to the temple even at the odd times without any events and chatting with the Buddhist priests. Why would they behave like this? A woman should never go to a temple alone when there are no events. If they want to help in something in the temple, they should be accompanied by someone. The corruptions and the behaviour of the Buddhist priests are well-known to all of us and the women should know better than this. I feel very sorry for this young girl who had faced this incident. This is a good lesson for the women who go to the temple alone and sleep with the Buddhist priests.
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abiththaya / September 21, 2011
I’ve been to that temple in Croyden only once and decided no to go there as I realised that so called person Somarathana (shame to call him a monk) is a businessman rather than a priest. He is an exact copy of Ruwanwelle Sobitha. May the Lord Buddha save Buddhism from such people !!!
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Mahalingam / September 21, 2011
I don’t want to defend this monk; the truth will come out in the courts.
I know nothing about him or connection to President Rajapakse (picture).
But I am uncomfortable when a charge is brought after 35 years.
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Janaranjana / September 22, 2011
I don’t know whether this buddhist monk has commited a crime or the said women is lying. We should not forget that it is the responsibility of civilised society to consider an accused is innocent until proven guilty. The fact this women is in a higher circle of society does not give anybody the right to believe her words and to assume that this monk is guilty or does not prove that she has been a victim
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Pingback: Update- London Chief Buddhist Thero remanded for rape « Colombo Telegraph / September 23, 2011
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Ahinsaka / September 23, 2011
‘You are innocent until proven guilty’..the basics of English law….This is believed to be a vandetta of a person who was not given a role in the temple and supported by a group associated with rebellious minority Sri Lankan thugs etc etc…The priest appears to have become a political foot ball…..to laugh at…….
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Silencer / September 29, 2011
I cannot see much blame on the person who has done the misconduct. We have to see what has lead these people to such stages. As someone has mentioned above, separation of human desires from worldly affairs is a major harm to the human mind. There are many proven facts that humans cannot have a total abstain from worldly affairs. If the bodily needs of humans like hunger, thirst, lust, comfort, family etc are not properly met, humans obviously could turn up behaving like animals, losing all their respect, chastity and honor in no time…!
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nilanthie / October 9, 2011
Are animals homosexual?
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Silencer / October 13, 2011
To my sense no. But here I would like to point that animals do not have a fixed partner….
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nilanthie / October 9, 2011
Only one Buddhist monk has ever been prosecuted in Sri Lanka for abusing little boys even though the problem is rife as with catholic perverts.
Look at the faces of most of these monks and you see pervert written on their fore heads..
All religions have perverts
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Silencer / October 13, 2011
Agreed. Yet, people abstaining from normal human desires are more likely to become a pervert soon…! It’s just another extreme end of life…!
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raymond / November 25, 2011
The picture above depicts an yellow robed gentleman and our regime chief – Kudu Rajapaksha!!
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Pingback: London Chief Buddhist Thero Charged For More Rape « Colombo Telegraph / December 9, 2011
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Mohana Prabath Karunanayake / December 13, 2011
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Mohana Prabath Karunanayake / December 13, 2011
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Mohana Prabath Karunanayake / December 13, 2011
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Saman / December 13, 2011
I am an ardent Buddhist, and I am REALLY REALLY shocked and speechless. I suppose now I must be a Christian or a Muslim. It’s bloddy shame on Buddhists and Sri Lanka as a Buddhist Nation.
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Prabath / December 13, 2011
This “pervert in robes must go to a BROTHEL.
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Prasanna / December 13, 2011
Buddhist monks must be allowed to marry more than one woman to satisfy all their great sexual temperaments.
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Hansan / December 16, 2011
If the So called Monks don’t want to leave the Robe , They must cut off there Cock and continue Tempal work.
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Pingback: Update: London Buddhist Thero’s Child Abuse Hearing In April « Colombo Telegraph / December 23, 2011
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Pingback: London Chief Buddhist Thero Child Abuse Cases Begins | Colombo Telegraph / April 20, 2012
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