Sri Lankan police on Monday arrested a British national sporting a Buddha tattoo and allegedly hurting religious feelings.
Naomi Michelle Coleman (37), who was arrested at the Bandaranaike International Airport, will be deported as per a magistrate’s orders, police said. She is currently at an immigration detention centre. The British High Commission in Sri Lanka has said it is aware of the incident, and that it would offer suitable consular assistance.
This is not the first time that a foreign tourist visiting Sri Lanka is being deported for sporting Buddha tattoos. The BBC reported another British tourist was denied entry at Colombo’s international airport last March because he had reportedly spoken disrespectfully when immigration officials asked about a tattoo of the Buddha on his arm. According to the BBC, three French tourists got suspended prison sentences for kissing a Buddha statue in Sri Lanka two years ago.
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