A British tourist must leave Sri Lanka because she has a Buddha tattoo. Naomi Coleman was arrested at the international airport. She is now waiting for a flight back to the U.K. Passport officers told her the tattoo disrespected Sri Lankan culture. A spokesman said the tattoo hurt religious feelings. Most Sri Lankans are Buddhist and respect images of Buddha. They would think a Buddha tattoo is culturally insensitive. Coleman did not think her tattoo was bad.

Tourists have got in trouble before for not understanding Sri Lankan culture. One got deported for speaking disrespectfully to passport officers. Three French tourists got prison sentences for kissing a Buddha statue. In 2010, R&B star Akon could not get a visa to visit Sri Lanka because of a video for his song. The video showed a pool party in front of a statue of Buddha. A British website warns tourists not to pose for photos in front of statues of the Buddha.