By Shamindra Ferdinando
General Secretary of the Bodu Bala Sena Ven Galagodaatte Gnanasara Thero said that as he hadn’t applied for a British visa recently, therefore the UK government needing to consider his visa application didn’t arise.
Asked by The Island whether he had sought to visit the UK ever, Ven. Gnanasara said that some time ago an application made by him to the British was rejected due to some shortcoming on his part. That was before the BBS was wrongly accused of causing mayhem at Alutgama on June 15, the monk said.
British Parliament was told last week that visa application from Ven Gnanasara Thera would be considered in accordance with immigration rules. Asked whether the government planned to ban Ven. Gnanasara Thera from entering the United Kingdom, Minister of State for Crime Prevention and Antisocial Behaviour Reduction Lord Taylor of Holbeach said though the Home Office did not routinely comment on individual cases, he could confirm that any visa application from Ven. Gnanasara Thera would be considered in accordance with the Immigration Rules.
He also said: “Under the Prevent strategy, the Unacceptable Behaviours policy has prevented a cross section of extremists from entering the UK.
This includes excluding individuals for public speaking or publishing material that foments, justifies or glorifies terrorist violence or fosters hatred which might lead to inter-communal violence in the UK or otherwise can be demonstrated as providing support for extremists.”
“Coming to the UK is a privilege we refuse to extend to those who would subvert our shared values,” he added.
Ven. Gnanasara acknowledged that the issue had been raised in British parliament in the wake of the US State Department withdrawing a five year multiple entry visa granted to him.
Ven Gnanasara visited both Norway and the US before the formation of BBS. According to the Norwegian embassy, the visit to Oslo took place before his affiliation to BBS was known, actually before the embassy was even aware of its mere existence. “The trip to Oslo was organized by an organization called Norwegian Peace building Resource Centre (NOREF), which invited a group of 8 Sinhalese from Sri Lanka, among them 5 prominent Buddhist priests, to meet a group of Tamil Diaspora in Norway from 20-26 October 2011. The delegation consisted of the following members:
1. Ven. Galagodaatte Gnanasara Thera, Ven. Aluthwewa Ananda Thera, Ven. Dapane Sumanawansa Thera, Ven. Welimada Shantha Thera, Ven. Witharandeniye Nanda Thera, Dilanthe Withanage, Pujitha Wijesinghe and Mark Antony Perera.” The Norwegian embassy said that the Worldview International Foundation (WIF) facilitated the project.
Courtesy”The Island