A member of the funeral organizing committee, Chandrasiri Thera was commenting to the media with regard to a video in which Sobhitha Thera has said his funeral should be a simple one.

In that video, Sobhitha Thera says there should be no ceremony or procession, children should not be taken in the sun, and that hundreds of thousands of rupees should not be spent.

After seeing the video, many question whether it would be correct to hold the funeral with state honours with large public participation.

Chandrasiri Thera said he has the right to decide how the late prelate should be respected at his funeral.

Deputy minister Karunaratne Paranavithana accused persons who had gone bankrupt due to Sobhitha Thera’s social intervention of trying to create problems over this.

Chandrasiri Thera refuted allegations that Sobhitha Thera had died to his dejection of the government, and noted that he had been ailing for some time.