Colombo floods are "nature's punishment", monk says in controversial remark against mayor

The flooding now affecting Colombo is nature's punishment for the mayor of the Colombo Municipal Council, who behaved in a manner insulting to the chief prelates, said Bataranwila Seelaratna Thera.

He made the remark while addressing a media briefing held on Friday (7th) at the office of the Jana Setha Peramuna party.

"Political leaders who came to power in the past used the Maha Sangha and Buddhism for their political needs. Once their needs were fulfilled, they sidelined the Maha Sangha. The Maha Sangha and the temples are remembered only when political leaders face some crisis," he said.

The Maha Sangha held a protest and a hunger strike at Viharamahadevi Park demanding a presidential pardon for Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera. On that occasion, the mayor of the Colombo Municipal Council behaved in a way that insulted the Maha Sangha, and the whole country saw the humiliation inflicted on them, he said.

"But look now: the whole city of Colombo is submerged in floodwater. Many parts of the city have turned into lakes. This is what we call karmic retribution," he said.

He also accused the government of failing to meet people's basic needs, and of failing to properly maintain the drains instead of cleaning them.

"Even the Colombo National Hospital, which in our living memory had never been flooded, went under water yesterday. Who must answer for this? The mayor of the Colombo Municipal Council must answer for it," he stressed.