“I may have to return to prison”; Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera

22-Sep-2026

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Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera has said that he wanted to receive blessings together with his 87-year-old mother because he felt that he might have to return to prison, and that he had therefore requested a Nayaka Thera to bless both him and his mother together.

He made the remarks while addressing the launch of his new book, 9.05 - Vikruthi: The Ideology that Shook Sri Lanka, held in Colombo on September 20, 2026.

Speaking further, he said:

“My mother is the only person I have now. She is 87 years old. At present, she mainly remembers the past. Sometimes we may meet again, and sometimes we may not. I do not feel any particular pain about that. But I have fulfilled my duty.

“Sometimes I feel that I may have to return to prison. That is why I thought I should receive blessings together with my mother. For that reason, I asked a Nayaka Thera to bless both my mother and me together.

“I did not act based on ideas brought in from foreign countries, including the United States. I spoke out about matters that could affect Buddhists, monks, nuns and people belonging to other communities in this country.

“When I saw the danger posed by extremist religious groups, I could not remain silent. I spoke about them when those groups were establishing camps. I warned about this even before the Easter Sunday attacks. I sent letters to various parties. I informed several people, including Presidents, Defence Secretaries and police chiefs.

“Many of the allegations made against me were based on individual words taken from lengthy speeches and published in the media. As a result, I was portrayed differently. On many occasions, I did not have the opportunity to present my complete views to the public.

“The cases against me were not initiated by the present government. They were instituted during the Yahapalana government. I had been speaking openly about Islamic extremist groups since 2012 and 2013. The Easter Sunday attacks subsequently took place, and I was later sent to prison.”