2016 Nov 24
Putting things into perspective, we really are just a drop in the ocean. Yet, Sri Lankans have really spread out over the years, reaching all regions of the world ranging from the Far East to the Caribbean. So we really are quite an adaptive and friendly bunch but at the same time we are somewhat notorious for our run-ins with the law. More often than not the reasons are justifiable but they make a good story. So here are some stupid reasons why Sri Lankans have been arrested both abroad and on home soil.
Sri Lankan arrested for ‘shaking hands’
A Lankan expatriate was arrested in a Middle Eastern country for inappropriately touching a woman; the woman filed a complaint against this man who happened to be her neighbor’s driver (plot twist much). He was accused of touching her inappropriately and running away (what even?) In his defense, he claimed that he only shook her hand as a friendly greeting. If the Sri Lankan man was truthful in his defense, then that may sound like an absurd reason to be arrested but then again when in Rome, do as the Romans do.
Teen arrested for hacking the President’s website
The story only gets better from there. In August of 2016, a Sri Lankan schoolboy was arrested over suspicion of hacking into the president’s official website, demanding that his university entrance examination dates not be changed. Claiming to represent the “The Sri Lankan Youth”, he posted a message on the website demanding a presidential election immediately if the examination dates were shifted to April, during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year.
Sri Lankan arrested for being on a hunger strike
In 2015, eight Lankan individuals in a special camp in India were arrested on charges of attempted suicide. In reality they were simply on a hunger strike as a form protest, demanding their release from the camp. (Talk about a mix-up man!) They were then produced before a Judicial Magistrate and admitted to a hospital soon after because of their deteriorating health condition.
Throwback to 1982 when a Lankan attempted hijacking
Ah alas we come to the pièce de résistance. A Sri Lankan living in Italy lost his visa and was denied a new one by Italian authorities. Upon learning that he had to wait six years to get a new visa, he was devastated that he would be away from his wife and son for so long. His plan of action was to hijack an Italian aircraft and then directly inform the Italian government of his demands and get the pilot to divert to Bangkok (besides, that is the most rational thing to do in such a situation, am I right?). What were his demands? Well, to be reunited with his wife and son along with a pretty chill three hundred thousand dollars…yep. Although his demands were met he was subsequently arrested and sent back home.
Lankan arrested with nearly 1 kg of gold in his rectum
Smuggling is bad enough, yet our Lankans have taken it to the next level. In September of 2017, Lankan authorities at the airport arrested a man for allegedly trying to smuggle gold and jewellery weighing up to 1 kg hidden in his rectum, valued at close to 2 million rupees. He was bound for India, and was apparently spotted by officials when he was seen “walking suspiciously”. Oh, the horror.
Sri Lankan arrested over bogus medical certificates
This case took place in 2018 in Cyprus when two Cypriot doctors were arrested for issuing bogus medical certificates to third parties to aid them in hiring foreign workers. Remember what I said earlier about Sri Lankans being everywhere? Well somehow, a forty six year old Sri Lankan was also arrested for being in connection with this case.
Man arrested for sharing beer with his toddler
In July this year, a Sri Lankan man was arrested by the police after a video of him sharing a bottle of beer with his one-year-old son went viral on social media. Three others were detained for filming this. The toddler was taken to a doctor for an examination while his 40-year-old father and three of his associates were charged for cruelty to a child. As serious as this incident was, it certainly qualifies as a crazy thing to do and a crazy thing to be arrested for!
Drunk driver arrested in Kuwait
At first, there seems nothing out of the ordinary about this. In fact, drunk driving is a serious issue which certainly needs to be dealt with immediately. That is, until, you find out he was driving a concrete mixer. While drunk. Yep, that’s right. The arrest came after several motorists called the Operations Room of the Interior Ministry complaining about the reckless driver along the King Fahd bin Abdulaziz Motorway. Drunk driving is bad enough, yet drunkenly driving a concrete mixer is a whole other story.
So there you have it, the craziest reasons why Sri Lankans have been arrested! The next time you read the news, keep your eyes peeled for a gem of a news story like one of the above; it could be right under your nose and you’d never notice!
