British Tourist Denied Entry to Sri Lanka for Disrespecting Buddhism

Local newspaper Lankadeepa Sinhalese reported that Antony Ratcliffe, 42, was forbidden to enter Sri Lanka because he demeaned Buddhist values when asked about the tattoo.

One of the immigration officials told the newspaper: "When questioned about the tattoo, he spoke very disrespectfully about Buddhism."

The officials at Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo decided that it was best to deny him entry to the country for his own safety. They felt his opinion regarding Buddhism would offend locals and might provoke an incident.

"If he expressed such views after entering the country, it would have been a threat to his own safety," said the unnamed immigration official.

An airport source confirmed the incident, but did not disclose the reason behind the decision to turn Ratcliffe away.

According to a BBC report, Ratcliffe was passing through Sri Lanka en route from London to Malaysia. He denied any intention to disrespect local customs.

"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. It wasn't something I took lightly or did on the spur of the moment," he said.

According to the Central Intelligence Agency, 70 percent of the population in Sri Lanka follow the Theravada branch of Buddhism, which is recognised as the oldest branch of the religion. Ill-treatment of Buddha images is considered taboo in the country, and foreign nationals are strongly encouraged to respect local decorum and religious sensibilities.

Last August, a Sri Lankan court sentenced three French nationals to six months in prison with hard labour, suspended for five years, for posing with Buddha statues and pretending to kiss one of them.

In 2010, the American R&B singer Akon was denied entry to the country after one of his music videos showed scantily clad women dancing around a Buddha statue.

According to the BBC, around 100,000 British citizens visited the island nation last year, accounting for 10 percent of the total number of tourists.

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India plans to promote Buddhist sites as new tourist hotspots

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VARANASI, India -- In an effort to attract at least half of the total Buddhist population spread in 35 countries by promoting Buddhist pilgrimage sites, is the new mantra of the ministry of tourism, Government of India and the states enshrining the Buddhist pilgrimage sites.

The call was given during the inauguration of the three-day International Buddhist Conclave (IBC)-2012 at a hotel compound in Nadesar area on Saturday. Due to the last-minute cancellation of chief minister Akhilesh Yadav's visit, Union minister of state for tourism Subodh Kant Sahai, along with the ministers of tourism of UP, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha inaugurated the conclave. Apart from 133 delegates from 30 countries, who are mainly tour operators, opinion leaders and travel writers, delegates from 16 states are also taking part in the conclave.

In his address, UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) executive director Marcio Favilla said that "while the number of international tourists last year was one billion, next year this figure can touch the mark of 1.8 billion".

"During the G-20 summit held in June, the tourism sector was approved as an important economic activity. It's for the first time that the tourism has been included in G-20 declaration. Focus should be on sustainable tourism to generate employment. Similarly, religious tourism would play a key role in increasing the number of international tourists."

The Union minister of state for tourism said: "The ministry is aiming at promoting religious tourism on the line of the Muslim religious shrines in Saudi Arabia. Even if half of the Buddhist population (out of a total of 50 lakh) visits the Buddhist pilgrim centres in the country annually, the goal of the ministry would be achieved. This would also help in generating employment for three crore people."

The minister also highlighted the measures initiated by the Central government regarding visa issues.

The tourism ministers of participating states, including Jammu and Kashmir, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, left no opportunity to promote the Buddhist sites of their states. However, the main competition between UP and Bihar to woo the delegates for attracting more and more tourists was quite evident.

Bihars minister for tourism Sunil Kumar Pintu highlighted how improvement in basic infrastructure, especially roads, had help in attracting a large number of tourists to the Buddhist sites in Bihar. However, UP minister of state for tourism M C Chauhan had no concrete plans to disclose except expecting that the chief minister would do some miracle to change the fate of tourism industry in UP.

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