Following the deportation of a UK national for having a Buddha tattoo on his arm, British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka John Rankin has called for religious tolerance and understanding of cultural divisions.

Writing about the incident in his blog Rankin calls on authorities to understand the cultural difference between different countries and ensure safety of visitors.

Last month a British man was refused entry to Sri Lanka because he had a large visible tattoo of Buddha on his arm.

Sri Lankan immigration officials took the view that it would cause offence and concluded that he should not enter the country.

Initial reports suggested that the visitor had also voiced disrespect towards Buddhism although the man later told BBC that he was himself a Buddhist and that far from being an insult, the tattoo demonstrated his affiliation to the religion.

"It's been reported that the decision to deny entry to the man with the Buddha tattoo was made partly on the basis that his safety could have been at risk. That could well be the case, but if so, it tells a sad story about the growing levels of religious anxiety in a country usually famed for its hospitality towards visitors," Rankin wrote on his blog.

He also noted that the UK travel advisory on Sri Lanka has now been updated to include specific warnings on having religiously sensitive tattoos.

Last year over 100, 000 British citizens visited Sri Lanka forming more than 10 percent of the one million visitors to the island, which has seen a massive boom in tourism since the end of a three decade war in 2009. Enditem

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