Sri Lanka to deport Buddha tattoo British woman Skip to main content

Sri Lanka to deport Buddha tattoo British woman

Sri Lanka to deport Buddha tattoo British woman

Naomi Coleman Naomi Coleman was arrested at Bandaranaike International Airport on Monday

Related Stories

A British tourist is to be deported from Sri Lanka because of a Buddha tattoo on her arm.
Naomi Coleman was arrested as she arrived at the airport in the capital Colombo after authorities spotted the tattoo on her right arm.

A police spokesman said the 37-year-old from Coventry was arrested for "hurting others' religious feelings".

Ms Coleman is being held at an immigration detention camp after a magistrate ordered her deportation.

She is expected to be removed within days.

Sri Lanka is particularly sensitive about images of the Buddha.

Practised religion Ms Coleman said there was initially no problem with officials but two taxi drivers and a plain clothes police officer told her she was breaking the law and brought her to a police station to make a statement.

Ms Coleman, a mental health nurse, told the BBC: "I got to the airport in Sri Lanka. It was fine. They stamped my passport. There was no problem.
Naomi Coleman's tattoo  
Ms Coleman's tattoo shows a Buddha sitting on a lotus flower
"I had a short-sleeved top on which showed my tattoo which has got a Buddha on and another Hindu tattoo underneath. There was no problem there.

"It was just when I was taking my suitcases out, one of the taxi men at the stand stopped me and said, 'Oh, this is a big problem in Sri Lanka, you've got a Buddha tattoo.'"

She said she told police in a statement that she practised Buddhism and had attended meditation retreats and workshops in Thailand, India, Cambodia and Nepal.

Ms Coleman said she had to spend Monday night in prison in Negombo, near the airport, after appearing in court.

"I went on the stand, they called me. But they didn't let me speak or plead my case. They were just talking among themselves," she said.

"Then they said, 'You're being deported.' I said, 'I've got another trip booked to the Maldives, can I just go there, I'll leave Sri Lanka then.' They said, 'No, you'll have to be deported back to your home country and you'll need to go to prison for the night.'
Ms Coleman said she was persuaded to hire a lawyer for 5,000 rupees (£25/$38) but claimed he did not communicate with her and she did not believe her statement was conveyed to anyone.

She has been told to return to the UK but may have to wait several days because the authorities said they were carrying out extensive security checks on her "like I'm a criminal or something".

The British High Commission in Colombo said: "We are aware of the case and are providing appropriate consular assistance."

Sensitivity of issue Authorities regularly take strict action against perceived insults to Buddhism, which is the religion of the island's majority ethnic Sinhalese.
Map of Sri Lanka  
Ms Coleman arrived in Sri Lanka from India
Ms Coleman arrived at Bandaranaike International Airport on Monday, having flown from India. Her tattoo features a Buddha sitting on top of a lotus flower.

Last March, another British tourist was denied entry at Colombo's international airport because immigration officials said he had spoken "disrespectfully" when asked about a tattoo of the Buddha on his arm.

Antony Ratcliffe later spoke of his "shock" at the incident, insisting that he followed Buddhist teachings and thought a tattoo was an apt tribute.

Two years ago, three French tourists were given suspended prison sentences for kissing a Buddha statue.

The UK travel advice on Sri Lanka warns of the sensitivity of the issue and tells visitors not to pose for photos in front of statues of Buddha.

Over the past year monks belonging to certain hardline Buddhist groups have led violent attacks against Muslims and Christians, a trend which has given rise to considerable concern among religious minorities in Sri Lanka.
Naomi Michelle Coleman 
 Ms Coleman is being held in an immigration detention camp awaiting her removal from Sri Lanka
Buddha statue The Sri Lankan authorities take tough action against perceived insults to Buddhism
 
-- BBC 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Chronology of the Press in Burma

1836 – 1846 * During this period the first English-language newspaper was launched under British-ruled Tenasserim, southern  Burma . The first ethnic Karen-language and Burmese-language newspapers also appear in this period.     March 3, 1836 —The first English-language newspaper,  The Maulmain Chronicle , appears in the city of Moulmein in British-ruled Tenasserim. The paper, first published by a British official named E.A. Blundell, continued up until the 1950s. September 1842 —Tavoy’s  Hsa-tu-gaw  (the  Morning Star ), a monthly publication in the Karen-language of  Sgaw ,  is established by the Baptist mission. It is the first ethnic language newspaper. Circulation reached about three hundred until its publication ceased in 1849. January 1843 —The Baptist mission publishes a monthly newspaper, the Christian  Dhamma  Thadinsa  (the  Religious Herald ), in Moulmein. Supposedly the first Burmese-language newspaper, it continued up until the first year of the second Angl

Thai penis whitening trend raises eyebrows

Image copyright LELUXHOSPITAL Image caption Authorities warn the procedure could be quite painful A supposed trend of penis whitening has captivated Thailand in recent days and left it asking if the country's beauty industry is taking things too far. Skin whitening is nothing new in many Asian countries, where darker skin is often associated with outdoor labour, therefore, being poorer. But even so, when a clip of a clinic's latest intriguing procedure was posted online, it quickly went viral. Thailand's health ministry has since issued a warning over the procedure. The BBC Thai service spoke to one patient who had undergone the treatment, who told them: "I wanted to feel more confident in my swimming briefs". The 30-year-old said his first session of several was two months ago, and he had since seen a definite change in the shade. 'What for?' The original Facebook post from the clinic offering the treatment, which uses lasers to break do

Is 160 enough? One Indian man's family

By Sumnima Udas , CNN October 31, 2011 -- Updated 0857 GMT (1657 HKT) Ziona, center, with his has 39 wives, 86 children and 35 grandchildren in rural Baktwang village, India. STORY HIGHLIGHTS One man in India is the patriarch of a family of 160 in rural India Ziona, who only goes by his first name, has 39 wives, 86 children and 35 grandchildren. Ziona's father, Chana, founded the Christian sect in Baktwang that promotes polygamy "I never wanted to get married but that's the path God has chosen for me" Mizoram, India (CNN) -- The world's population hits 7 billion this week, but Ziona, the patriarch of what may be the biggest family in the world, is not bothered. "I don't care about overpopulation in India ... I believe God has chosen us to be like this (have big families). Those who are born into this family don't want to leave this tradition so we just keep growing and growing," he says with a smile. Ziona, who only goes by his f