Police probe whether Dutch monk committed suicide or was killed

bY SURESH PERERA

The Dutch monk whose body was found in the lagoon at Ratgama is suspected to have committed suicide though it is still too early to determine the exact circumstances which led to his death as investigations continue, a high-ranking police official said.

There is no indication so far that the 59-year-old monk, Ven. Olande Jinarathana Thera, had been killed, senior DIG Rohan Silva in charge of the Southern province said on Friday.

“Initial investigations point to suicide but we need to probe further to put the pieces together”, he said.

The postmortem examination conducted at the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital revealed that the monk had been alive at the time he was in the

water (of the lagoon), the senior police officer said. “However, we need to further ascertain the circumstances surrounding the prelate’s death”.

An open verdict was returned at the magisterial inquiry into the Dutch monk’s death.

Asked whether two stones found wired to the monk’s legs aroused suspicion that he may have been killed and his body dumped in the lagoon, as speculated in some quarters, senior DIG Silva replied, “yes, two stones were found tied to his legs. That’s why we need to investigate further to determine the circumstances of his death”.

He said that several police teams have been deployed to probe the Dutch monk’s death.

The monk was reported missing from the temple for some days before his body was found floating in the lagoon, police said.

No arrests have been made so far.

Ven. Olande Jinarathana Thera, had come to Sri Lanka about eight years ago from The Netherlands and engaged in meditation at the Polgasduwa Temple in Ratgama.

Police are also expected to record the statements of 13 Buddhist monks who resided at the Temple as well as from devotees who had associated with the late prelate.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has directed IGP C. D. Wickramaratne to conduct an immediate comprehensive investigation into the death of the monk.

The Prime Minister’s media division said the IGP has deployed several police squads including a CID team to investigate the death of the Dutch monk. The IGP is expected to brief the Prime Minister on the progress of the investigation.