Woman deported for exposing Buddhist tattoo

Friday, 24 Apr, 2014 0

A 37-year-old British nurse has been arrested and deported from Sri Lanka for sporting a Buddha tattoo deemed offensive by authorities.

Naomi Coleman was arrested at Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport after her arrival on a flight from India.

"I am a practising Buddhist and meditate. That is why I have the tattoo – not out of disrespect for Buddhism," she said.

Authorities spotted the tattoo of a Buddha sitting on a locus flower on her right arm, said the BBC.

Coleman said that she was never told what charges were brought against her, but was held for six hours and harassed by police for bribes.

Sri Lanka, a majority Buddhist nation, is highly sensitive to perceived insults to the religion.

The Australian government’s travel advice for Sri Lanka includes a warning: "Travellers with tattoos of Buddha images should keep these covered at all times."



 

profileimage

Ian Jarrett



Most Read

Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know

Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham

Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago

Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research

Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact

Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference

Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role

Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal

Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination

Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness

Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future

Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
TRAINING & COMPETITION
Skip to toolbar
Clearing CSS/JS assets' cache... Please wait until this notice disappears...
Updating... Please wait...