Sri Lanka tourist with Buddha tattoo will be deported from the country after she was arrested Monday at Bandaranaike International Airport. Naomi Coleman, the British tourist who was arrested, was set on enjoying her travel in Sri Lanka. However, the Sri Lanka tourist with Buddha tattoo will be deported any time soon from the country because of the Buddha tattoo on her arm.

Coleman was unfortunately met with untoward circumstances, after arriving at Bandaranaike International Airport on Monday and after flying in from India. The Sri Lanka tourist with Buddha tattoo is currently being held at an immigration detention camp and will be deported after a magistrate ordered her deportation.

How did it happen?

Naomi Coleman, the Sri Lanka tourist with Buddha tattoo, arrived at the Sri Lankan airport Monday. Like any other common traveler, she has her heart set on touring the country and enjoying her vacation. However, reports say that she was arrested at the airport in the capital Colombo after authorities spotted the tattoo on her right arm.

Initially, Naomi Coleman said there wasn't a problem with officials with regard to her Buddha arm tattoo, but as her day in the country progressed, two taxi drivers and a plain clothes police officer told her she was breaking the law and brought her to a police station to make a statement.

The mental health nurse and Sri Lanka tourist with Buddha tattoo told the BBC: "I got to the airport in Sri Lanka. It was fine. They stamped my passport. There was no problem. I had a short-sleeved top on which showed my tattoo which has got a Buddha on and another Hindu tattoo underneath. There was no problem there."

She added, "It was just when I was taking my suitcases out, one of the taxi men at the stand stopped me and said, 'Oh, this is a big problem in Sri Lanka, you've got a Buddha tattoo.'"

She said in a statement to the Sri Lankan police that she practised Buddhism and she had already had attended meditation retreats and workshops in Thailand, India, Cambodia and Nepal, hence the Sri Lanka Tourist With Buddha Tattoo on her arm.

Because of her arrest, Coleman, the Sri Lanka tourist with Buddha tattoo, had to spend Monday night in prison in Negombo, near the airport, after appearing in court. She said of her experience in court, "I went on the stand, they called me. But they didn't let me speak or plead my case. They were just talking among themselves. Then they said, 'You're being deported.' I said, 'I've got another trip booked to the Maldives, can I just go there, I'll leave Sri Lanka then.' They said, 'No, you'll have to be deported back to your home country and you'll need to go to prison for the night.'"

Hard to believe as all these may seem, Coleman said she was forced to hire a lawyer for 5,000 rupees, about £25/$38. It all seemed well and just, but the Sri Lanka tourist with Buddha tattoo claimed the lawyer did not communicate with her properly and she believes her statement was not conveyed accordingly to anyone.

The Sri Lanka tourist with Buddha tattoo is to return to the UK after waiting several days. Authorities still have to carry out extensive security checks on her "like I'm a criminal or something", says Coleman.

In response to the case of the the Sri Lanka tourist with Buddha tattoo, the British High Commission in Colombo said, "We are aware of the case and are providing appropriate consular assistance."

Why did Sri Lankan authorities take offence of the tourist's Buddha arm tattoo?

According to a police spokesman, the 37-year-old from Coventry was arrested for "hurting others' religious feelings".

Generally, Sri Lanka takes their practised religion seriously. As it happens, Sri Lanka is principally sensitive about images of the Buddha. Because of this, Sri Lankan authorities do not take lightly perceived insults to Buddhism and they are inclined to take tough action against people who do. Buddhism is the religion of the island's majority ethnic Sinhalese.

This is the reason why Coleman, the Sri Lanka tourist with Buddha tattoo, will be deported from the country. Her tattoo features a Buddha sitting on top of a lotus flower.

Sri Lanka tourist with Buddha tattoo deportation isn't the only case where the country has taken extremes to set tourists straight towards their religion. Last March, another British tourist was denied entry at Colombo's international airport because immigration officials said he had spoken "disrespectfully" when asked about a tattoo of the Buddha on his arm. Two years ago, three French tourists were also given suspended prison sentences for allegedly kissing a Buddha statue. A word of warning to travelers, research the culture and check any history of arrests in the county where you're off to in order to ensure safety.