Sri Lankans in UK launch boycott campaign against Amazon over flag door mat

Angered by the infelicitous and disrespectful conduct of the Amazon innovative store chain in marketing door mats depicting the Sri Lanka national flag, sections of the Sri Lankan community in the UK launched a boycott of doing business with the company.

Meanwhile the Sri Lanka High Commission in London wrote a diplomatic note to the top officials of Amazon including the chairman of its Board and CEO chiding the company for not paying the usual respect and courtesy that is due to the National flag of a nation.

."You would agree that the National Flag of a country is a symbol of respect and there are guidelines for the appropriate use and honouring of National Flags in every country. Using them on doormats/kitchen mats/floor mats is disrespecting a National Flag and people are sensitive when their national symbols are disrespected.

It is also an accepted norm not to use symbols such as pictures of religious leaders and National Flags for commercial purposes, particularly in a disrespectful manner."

Saying that selling items with such symbols does not augur well for a reputed E-commerce website such as Amazon, the High Commission urged its senior officials the envoy requested these items be removed from sale on Amazon as soon as possible."

By Neville de Silva in London