A self-proclaimed soothsayer in Sri Lanka has been arrested for predicting that the country's president would die.
Police took Vijitha Rohana Wijemuni into custody on Tuesday after he had posted multiple online videos forecasting the demise of president Maithripala Sirisena.
Unlike in the United States, astrology is well regarded by Sri Lankans who use the purported predictive technique to provide insight into important life decisions.
As such, Wijemuni's proclamations were seen as no laughing matter to authorities since they raised suspicions that the troubling statements were a potential indication of an impending assassination attempt on the president.
Therefore, in a fascinating look at the legal system in Sri Lanka, the astrologer was arrested once he prediction that the president would die at some point before January 27th failed to come to fruition.
Incredibly, Wijemuni was charged with making false predictions that could mislead the public meaning that the unfortunate astrologer suffered the double humiliation of both being wrong in his prediction and now maybe going to jail for it.
Psychics, tarot readers, and other 'visionaries' here in the United States probably need not worry about a similar law springing up in this country, since that would likely create more prisoners than even the notorious American prison system could handle.
And, in a bizarre coda to Wijemuni's tale, this is not the first time he's run afoul of a world leader as the astrologer spent two-and-a-half years in prison for attacking the Prime Minister of India back in the 1980's.
Coupled with this latest incident concerning the Sri Lankan president, it would appear that Wijemuni has a real problem with authority.
Source: USA Today
