Sri Lanka is a very popular tourist destination. Exotic nature and warm ocean, high-quality service at a relatively low price attract many tourists to the island every year. However, ignorance of the customs of a foreign country and the rules of conduct in it can sometimes lead to serious troubles.
When planning to visit another country, you should devote at least a little time to studying its customs and beliefs. Not knowing some elementary rules of behavior, you can at best form an unpleasant opinion about yourself, at worst - risk being beaten or ending up in jail.
It was in this situation that three tourists from France, a man and two women, found themselves. Having entered a Buddhist temple, they decided to take a picture with a statue of Buddha, which in itself is a violation of some ethical norms - as a rule, it is forbidden to take photographs in temples without permission. However, the tourists did not just take pictures in the temple, but held a real photo session there. In particular, the man tried to repeat the pose of the deity, and one of the women kissed the statue of Buddha on the lips.
Having finished photographing, the tourists quietly left. The trouble for them began later, when they decided to print the captured photographs in one of the local photo studio. His workers, after examining the photographs, felt insulted and called the police. Unlucky tourists were detained.
To the credit of the French, they did not deny and immediately pleaded guilty. Considering this fact, as well as the fact that the tourists did not intend to offend the feelings of believers, the sentence was rather mild. The Magistrates' Court sentenced the French to a suspended six-month suspended sentence of five years and a fine of 1,500 rupees (approximately $ 12) per person. Tourists from France were even allowed to stay in the country until the end of their holiday.
As can be seen from the verdict of the court, it turned out to be quite symbolic, but instructive. The story of French tourists hit the pages of the world's leading news agencies, so now many tourists, visiting Sri Lanka and other countries, will behave more prudently. In particular, they will try to get acquainted with local beliefs and customs in advance.
