Sri Lanka Arrests Astrologer, Chandrasiri Bandara, For Upsetting Prediction

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Sri Lankan police say they have arrested a popular astrologer for publicly predicting President Mahinda Rajapaksa's imminent ouster from office.

Police spokesman Ranjith Gunasekera confirmed Friday that Chandrasiri Bandara has been arrested so police could investigate the source of his prediction.

Bandara has a popular weekly television show and writes a column for a pro-opposition newspaper. Gunasekera says Bandara told an opposition meeting last week the prime minister would become president in September and the opposition leader would become prime minister.

Rajapaksa's popularity has grown sharply since the military defeated the Tamil Tiger rebels last month. Media rights groups have complained of a subsequent crackdown on free speech.

Comments

[JoeLobs]

09:39 PM on 07/04/2009

A week ago, the very well known TV future teller, Chandrasiri Bandara, was arrested by Colombo City sri lankan Police because he predicted the President of the Nation would be removed from office in Sri Lanka.

Without giving details of statements in his e-mail sent to srilakan Government, the argentinian horoscope man told "I am trying my best for Chandrasiri to get freedeom". He also added in his site, wwww.zodiacguille.com, two URLs, one corresponding to Mr. Bandara and, of course, the other: Sri Lanka President´s official web.

"Up to now, I couldn´t log in Chandrasiris´blog; it seems "stars" aren´t helping..." he joked. "but President´s site is quite interesting and easy to contact with His Excellency ..."

Many astrologers all over the world are on "esoteric" expectation about the Sri Lankan Government decision. To finish, Don Zodiac Guille said: "I would respectfully like to have a look on the Mundane Astral Chart already built by Mr. BANDARA because the Police want a logical explanation about those political predictions on President Mahinda Rajipakse´s destitution".

Don Zodiac Guille ended saying :"Astrology is a millenary social practice...so we have to moderate our concepts when a Country Chart is going to be published specially if the land situation is difficult"

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[JoeLobs]

06:21 PM on 07/02/2009

An astrologer from Argentina,Don Zodiac Guille has already sent an e-mail to Sri Lanka President Rajapaksa imploring to liberate his collegue, Astrologer Chandrasiri BANDARA saying " Please, MERCY for Chandrasiri, Dear President Mahinda Rajapakse, because his relate is maybe a mistake..."

Don Zodiac Guille is the chairman at World Wide Parapsychological Association and asked all newspapers from Asia to publish his petition to Sri Lankan President.

Argentine horoscope man also says: If the Sri Lanka leader is a Sagitarian. I know about his generosity but also his bad temper when he gets angry... I describe this in my site www.zodiacguille.com"

I feel that Chandrasiri will be free as soon as his Excellency reads my e-mail, I am an ordinary astrologer but I know the suffering stay in prison..."


Astrologer Don Zodiac Guille has recently predicted the civil-military rejection for the President Manuel Zelaya in Honduras, but he also added that the President will returns to power.(Dorys Dodier from Madrid – Spain

[Dorysdodier]

12:19 AM on 07/02/2009

An astrologer from Argentina, http://WWW.ZODIACGUILLE.COM is predicting right now that a country from Asia with the letter “M” is going to have a huge change (I guess it is Myanmar) because the leadership of a sick man under Aquarius Sign is going to explote in his umbilical part of his body. He also said that the country will be GOVERN further under the sign of a GEMINI person. Apart from this, Zodiacguille said that an old name is coming back for happiness of his people.
Then, the argentine horoscope man sent a message to Sri Lanka Goverment begging to liberate the arrested Astrologer Chandrasiri BANDARA saying " Please, MERCY Dear President Mahinda Rajapakse for him, because his relate is maybe a mistake..."
The Argentine Astrologer said: "If it is neccesary to travel to Sri Lanka I may go on behalf of all the associated astrologers world wide. Chandrasiri is press astrologer so the roles are acceptable and may there is a mistake".
This Astrologer Don Zodiac Guille also predicted the civil-military destitution for the President Zelaya in Honduras, but he also predicted that the President will returns to power.(Dorys Dodier from Madrid – Spain

[KevinKulasekera]

10:06 PM on 06/29/2009

The reason this news sounds too stupid to be true is because it is! The Western media tends to be quite racist and patronising in the spin they give to stories about third world heathens and their superstitions for the mindless amusement of their Western audience.

I grew up in Sri Lanka and my knowledge of Sri Lanka is not superficial. Sri Lankans do not believe in astrology to the extent that could be superficially inferred from observing their following of ancient customs. These are ancient traditions and a part of our heritage, but following them does not mean we necessarily believe in them. Most Sri Lankans are educated, rational people, and do not believe in these superstitions, but they still perform certain rituals out of respect to our culture.

This astrologer also happens to be a political columnist for an opposition newspaper - a fact not readily disclosed by most of these reports. He published an article that was in effect a veiled threat on the president's life - and this president has had so many assassination attempts on him that I've lost count. The police was right in taking him in for questioning. He was not tortured, summarily jailed or executed - but questioned as to how he thinks the president is going to be killed. Regardless of what his answer is - he may say the stars predicted it - the police was well justified in questioning him. Are they being overly vigilant? You bet, what else

[Ajita]

09:09 AM on 06/28/2009

I'm sure he saw that one coming...

[BeeOplentee]

09:23 AM on 06/27/2009

Astrologers are all extemely wealthy from constantly winning lotteries. It is unfair to ordinary folks who bet their hard-earned money on the numbers. It's high time to render them all to Sri-Lanka.

[atourdeforce]

08:51 PM on 06/26/2009

What kind of cavemen are the Sri Lankans?

They have the collective cultural maturity of a five year that has been dropped on his head once too often.

What savages.

[SiberianRat]

08:32 AM on 06/28/2009

The Sri Lankan people are some of the most wonderful people I've ever had the pleasure to meet. It's a poor country with poor education--however, your intolerant attitude is far more savage-like than their lack of knowledge. I've been to that country 3 times and will do all I can to go again.

[lianmolive]

08:45 PM on 06/26/2009

what century are we in??

[LetMeUnderstandThis]

03:09 PM on 06/26/2009

ROFLMAO

[Lahonda]

03:07 PM on 06/26/2009

I wonder if an astrologer who can't foretell and avoid his own arrest is worth arresting for predicting the fall of the government?

[mixnmatch]

03:34 PM on 06/26/2009

He should have called the "psyhic hot line"

[Lahonda]

03:44 PM on 06/26/2009

I knew that, silly!

[nethead]

02:38 PM on 06/26/2009

"so police could investigate the source of his prediction." ROTFLMFWAO!

[Bitsko]

01:44 PM on 06/26/2009

By "upset" I thought he'd dropped it. Never mind.

[research]

01:35 PM on 06/26/2009

LOL, the astrologer is correct! This arrest will trigger his ouster!

[ElCapitanAmerica]

02:29 PM on 06/28/2009

hahahaha! I hadn't thought about that!

[ZenCrusader]

01:13 PM on 06/26/2009

Hide Witch Hide ! The good folks come to burn thee, their keen enjoyment hid behind a Gothic mask of duty.

[wadenelson1]

12:35 PM on 06/26/2009

FREE THE ASTROLOGER!

Send your tax deductible donation of $1000 or more to

ASTROLOGER DEFENSE FUND
c/o Nancy Reagan
Rancho Palos Verdes, California

[amdezurik]

02:23 PM on 06/26/2009

I am sure he finds it as funny as you do...