Procession Led by Monks in Support of President Anura; Petition Handed Over
18-Oct-2026.
A peaceful procession involving thousands of people and led by a group of Buddhist monks was organised by the Citizens for the People’s Mandate organisation (Janavarama Puravasiyo). The participants called for the people’s mandate given to the Government led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to be protected; legal action against thieves, corrupt individuals and drug traffickers to continue; the rule of law to be upheld in accordance with court decisions; and no pardon to be granted under pressure.
The group gathered near the Fort Railway Station in Colombo on 17 October 2026 and proceeded in a procession to the Presidential Secretariat. They called on the President to fulfil the expectations arising from the people’s mandate and ensure the rule of law in the country. They also handed over a petition.
Participants raised slogans calling on President Anura Kumara Dissanayake not to yield to pressure or become caught in political manoeuvres for electoral gain, to respect the people’s mandate, to ensure public safety, and not to show leniency towards thieves and drug traffickers. They also carried placards bearing these messages.
Hundreds of police officers and military personnel were deployed to the area to secure the Presidential Secretariat during the procession.
After a group of monks who took part in the procession went to the Presidential Secretariat in an attempt to meet the President and hand over a petition, they returned and spoke to the media.
Ven. Meegahajandura Seelananda Thera said:
The main purpose of coming from Fort Railway Station to the Presidential Secretariat was to meet the President and hand over a petition. A court ruling concerning Gnanasara Thera is being implemented. Certain groups that have suffered political setbacks are using the saffron robe in connection with that ruling. We believe they are attempting to create an unstable situation in the country.
The mandate given by the people of our country on 21 September 2024 was significant and contained many expectations. One of the principal expectations was to ensure the rule of law and the supremacy of the law in the country.
In the past, people believed that the law had been applied unjustly. Their expectation was therefore that it should be applied equally to everyone.
The law is now being enforced against thieves, corrupt individuals, drug traffickers and people linked to the underworld.
Institutions needed to uphold the supremacy of the law are also being strengthened. The strength of the police has been increased, recruitment has been carried out to meet the needs of the legal sector, and measures relating to the judiciary have been undertaken. These developments make it clear that the Government is making a major effort to uphold the rule of law and the supremacy of the law.
We need not identify individually those who oppose these measures or attempt to undermine them. As citizens responsible for protecting the people’s mandate, we monks have come here today in a peaceful manner.
Our request is that the President properly understand and act on the expectations of the people’s mandate. We have come here to ensure that the law is implemented properly, he said.
