General Secretary of Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) Galaboda Aththe Gnanasara Thero, responding to an accusation over his involvement in a drunk driving incident in 2000, stated that it was a military officer who was driving the vehicle at the time and not him.

In an interview on Derana 360 last night, the vociferous hardline monk was inquired regarding 9 charges, including driving under the influence of alcohol, driving without a valid license, driving without a revenue license and failing to report an accident, filed against him under case 6315/2000 at the Colombo Traffic Court. He was reportedly fined after pleading guilty to the charges.

Responding to the question, Gnanasara Thero while not completely rejecting the accusations stated that the vehicle was driven by a military officer known to him.

“Certain things we can discuss in front of society. I can also answer this question without flinching and with a smile on my face,” he said.

He stated that the incident occurred when he was traveling with an army officer, who was driving the vehicle, and that when the incident was later reported by media and though the internet he was in America.  

“At that time I asked that officer whether I should talk about the incident, about the truth.” But he said the instruction he got was that it was now done and over.

When asked why he did not come out with the truth as a Buddhist monk being accused, Gnanasara Thero said: “There are some occasions where we have to remain silent.”

On the accusation that the police report clearly states that Galaboda Aththe Gnanasara Thero under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident, he said it would take a long time for him to explain this and that he has does not need to prove his innocence.

 “At that moment I needed to be unafraid to protect the army officer who came to help me and to assist my attempt on behalf of the Buddha Sasana,” he said.

He stated that a person was injured and hospitalized after the accident and that he would have been punished according to military law. “That is why I said this is a complicated issue. So I think we should forget this and continue to the next question. We have discussed the needful, it is not a big deal.”
      
Gnanasara Thero was also questioned regarding a visit to Norway undertaken by him and four other monks in 2011, before the Buddhist nationalist group Bodu Bala Sena was founded in 2012, during which they had held talks with former Minister Erick Solheim and Tamil Diaspora groups.

On this, he said the visit was aimed at helping the people in the North by gaining the assistance of the Tamil Diaspora in Norway which actually cared about the Tamil people of Sri Lanka.

He, however, said unfortunately their intentions and goals were unfruitful due to pro-LTTE groups threatening the diaspora groups.

He emphasized that the discussion were in no means aimed at conspiring against the country and that they were unable to inform the Sri Lankan High Commission in Norway due to the shortage of time during the visit.  

Galaboda Aththe Gnanasara Thero further said that there is no connection between the visit to the Norway in 2011 and the Bodu Bala Sena organization while terming accusation of the Buddhist nationalist group being funded by the Norway government as “baseless” and “devoid of any truth”.