Camille (name changed), 32, arrived in Sri Lanka in early October with her boyfriend for a month-long vacation, intending to relax on the beaches and explore Buddhist temples.
On Oct. 2, she reported to the police that she was assaulted by a monk at Kadurupokuna Jayasundara Purana Viharaya temple in Tangalle town, according to the Tamil Guardiana U.K.-based publication.
That morning, she had visited the temple alone to sightsee and meditate.
While navigating the grounds, a young monk clad in saffron robes approached and offered to guide her.
“Because he was a monk, I trusted him,” Camille recalled.
He led her to a building set apart from the main complex and entered a room filled with large Buddha idols where he touched her inappropriately.
When she tried to flee, he pursued her, pinned her against a wall, and placed a finger over his lips to signal her to stay silent.
After escaping the temple grounds, Camille and her boyfriend called the police, but officers failed to show up, forcing them to go directly to the Tangalle police station.
There, according to Camille, several female officers took her statement, required medical evaluation reports, and initiated relevant procedures.
However, they repeatedly urged her to drop the case, noting that the monk was only 17 years old and came from a disadvantaged background.
The tourist was even warned that she could bear legal responsibility if she pursued the complaint and the accused committed suicide.
“I was the victim, yet in the end, I was made to feel like I was the one in the wrong,” she said.
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Inside the Kadurupokuna Jayasundara Purana Viharaya temple in Tangalle town, where the incident occurred. Photo by Rumesh Chanaka |
According to the Asian MirrorSri Lankan police confirmed they received the complaint and arrested the monk on Oct. 2, the same day the incident took place.
He was produced in court and released on bail before later appearing at the Tangalle Magistrate’s Court on Oct. 7.
The next hearing is scheduled for Feb. 2, 2027.
Camille said the court session in Tangalle on Oct. 7 lasted less than two minutes.
When asked by the judge whether he pleaded guilty, the monk denied all charges.
Camille added she was told she could face an international arrest warrant if she does not return to Sri Lanka for the trial in February 2027 though no official court documents have verified this claim.
The ordeal disrupted the couple’s travel plans.
Instead of sightseeing, Camille had to spend time dealing with police, lawyers, and court proceedings.
She also restricted her time outdoors alone due to safety concerns.
The French embassy offered her assistance but said it could not directly intervene in Sri Lanka’s judicial process.
She has yet to decide whether she will return to Sri Lanka in person for the February 2027 hearing or submit her testimony through legal counsel.
“I want this incident recorded so that if another woman comes forward in the future, she won’t be the first,” she said.
Sri Lanka has previously documented cases of foreign tourists alleging assault at religious sites.
In July 2025, an 81-year-old monk in Habaraduwa in the country’s south was arrested for allegedly sexually harassing a 41-year-old woman tourist from New Zealand during her visit to a temple.
According to data from Sri Lanka’s National Child Protection Authority provided to the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), the agency received complaints involving 285 monks regarding child abuse between May 2023 and May 2026, leading to 27 prosecutions.
These statistics represent formal allegations rather than finalized criminal convictions.
Sri Lanka welcomed a record 2.36 million foreign visitors in 2025, according to the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, with Buddhist temples remaining among the primary attractions for tourists in the South Asian island nation.