The British Tourist Is ‘Shocked And Upset’ After Being Deported From Sri Lanka For Displaying A Buddha Tattoo
By Colombo Telegraph -March 17, 2013
A British tourist is “shocked and upset” after being deported from Sri Lanka for displaying a Buddha tattoo on his arm, the BBC reports.
Ratcliffe got the tattoo in Burma, and says it was not something he took lightly | Photo BBC
According to the BBC, Antony Ratcliffe, 42, from Nottingham, was turned back at Colombo’s main airport on Friday for allegedly showing a lack of respect for Buddhism.
The authorities are tough on perceived insults to Buddhism – the religion of the island’s majority ethnic Sinhalese. But Ratcliffe says the “inoffensive” body art was meant as a tribute.
“As soon as he saw it the chief officer went crazy. You could see it on his face, he looked really angry and said I would have to go back to London.They took my passport and held me there for an hour and a half. All the time they were bringing people in to look at my arm, and they were shaking their heads. I was explaining my case, pleading basically, and the chief officer just told me to ‘shut up, shut up’ and he refused to talk to me.” Ratcliffe told the BBC.
“I like the artwork in tattoos obviously and, due to my belief in Buddhist philosophy which I have followed for many years, I thought a quality tattoo of the Buddha was rather apt.” he further said.
According to the BBC, more than 100,000 British citizens visited Sri Lanka in 2012, accounting for 10% of the total number of tourists. The UK is also the country’s second-largest trading partner after India.
DMK’s final warning to UPA over UNHRC Lanka resolution
B. KOLAPPAN-March 17, 2013
DMK President M. Karunanidhi on Sunday issued a final warning to Congress-led UPA Government saying that the DMK would certainly leave the alliance if India fails to take steps to incorporate suitable amendments to the draft resolution to be placed before the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
“I said our continuation in the alliance would be meaningless if the amendments are not incorporated. Now I say we will certainly not remain in the alliance”, he told reporters while releasing a copy of the letter sent to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi.
In the letter, he wanted amendments to declare that genocide and war crimes had been committed and inflicted on Eelam Tamils by the Sri Lankan Army and administrators.He also urged the establishment of a suitable and independent International commission of investigation in a time bound manner into the allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity, violence of international humanitarian law and the crime of genocide against Tamil people.
Mr. Karunanidhi said that he was writing this letter with immense mental agony and feeling of having been let down by the Government of India.
This article has been corrected for an editing error.
