A Buddhist monk leading a campaign seeking the release of Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera has claimed that the imprisoned monk was in a deeply distressed state and had threatened to take his own life by consuming poison.
Ven. Thiththagalle Anandasiri Thera made the revelation during an interview while discussing his efforts to secure a presidential pardon for Gnanasara Thera.
According to Anandasiri Thera, Gnanasara Thera had been emotionally distressed over his imprisonment and had spoken about ending his life by consuming poison.
“He had a bottle of poison and said he would drink it and die,” Anandasiri Thera claimed.
The monk said he intervened and persuaded Gnanasara Thera to abandon the idea, claiming that the bottle was subsequently thrown away.
Anandasiri Thera also revealed that he and Gnanasara Thera had previously been involved in serious disagreements dating back to the Bodu Bala Sena period.
However, he said he decided to support Gnanasara Thera after learning about his emotional condition and the circumstances surrounding his imprisonment.
The monk is currently leading a campaign to collect signatures calling on President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to grant Gnanasara Thera a presidential pardon.
He claimed that more than 225,000 signatures had already been collected and said the campaign would continue despite alleged attempts to pressure him into abandoning it.
Anandasiri Thera also alleged that he had received threats and offers of financial assistance to discontinue the campaign but insisted he would continue until the petition was submitted to the relevant authorities. (Newswire)
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