COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – Sri Lankan authorities plan to deport a British tourist for having an image of Buddha tattooed on her arm.
A police spokesman says Naomi Coleman was detained at Colombo’s airport after she arrived from India on Monday when authorities spotted the tattoo of Buddha seated on a lotus flower. She was sent before a magistrate, who ordered her deportation.
Rohana said Wednesday that Coleman has been handed over to immigration authorities, who are taking steps to deport her. He said Coleman was arrested for “hurting others’ religious feelings.”
Buddhism is Sri Lanka’s state religion and plays an important role in political and social affairs.