News
Sri Lankan’s Thai wife alleges abuse at airport
Barely 48 hours after the controversial arrest and deportation of the British woman tourist for sporting a tattooed Buddha on her body, a Thai woman and her Sri Lankan husband have alleged that they were harassed by Immigration officials at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) on Friday, police said.
In a complaint to the Airport Police the couple alleged that two immigration officials at the passport control section had remarked that the Thai woman was a prostitute and the man was her handler (pimp).
The alleged incident took place shortly after the couple arrived at the BIA on a flight from Bangkok, police said.According to police, the Sri Lankan man is a travel expert and the Thai woman his wife. The couple also alleged that the two immigration officials had demanded foreign currency from them and were rude in their language with derogatory remarks.
The Thai woman also alleged that even on previous occasions she was harassed by immigration officials at the BIA, but Friday’s incident was the worst.
A senior Airport Police official said they were investigating the matter on a serious note and that the cooperation of the Immigration Department would be sought.
According to the official, the couple had said they could identify the two Immigration officials.
Immigration and Emigration Controller Chunananda Perera said he was not aware of the incident and did not wish to comment.