The Sri Lankan government arrested a famous astrologer who predicted that the president will be ejected from office. [BBC]
Chandrasiri Bandara announced last week that the government would flounder in September and October because of political and economic problems.
Police told the AP news agency that Mr Bandara told an opposition meeting that the prime minister would take over as president on 9 September and the opposition leader would become prime minister.
He was arrested on Wednesday night to investigate the basis of his prediction, police spokesman Ranjith Gunasekera said.
Investigating the basis of his prediction? By that if they mean, alignment of stars and planets, then good luck to them. This brings up an important question, who will do the investigating, another astrologer? If so, what will be the basis of his predictions and who will investigate them? Oh what a tangled web we weave.
Predictably this arrest has not gone done well, particularly with the opposition to whom this astrologer belongs.
The opposition have condemned the arrest and warned that the country is heading towards a dictatorship.
Astrology is taken seriously by numerous Sri Lankan politicians.
So convinced are Sri Lankan politicians over the accuracy of astrology that many have their own personal seers who decide the auspicious times to launch any new initiative.
This is indeed a serious matter, as far as freedom of speech and basic human rights go. In the name of national security and fighting terrorism, the government has been taking liberties, most of which have gone unprotested as they were conducted against minorities.
However, the sweet irony of all this is worth noting. If Bandara was such a great astrologer, surely he could foresee his own arrest and take steps to prevent it from happening? Or conversely, if Bandara could not predict his own arrest, why is the Sri Lankan government so afraid of his predictions?
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