Sri Lanka's president slams Enrique Iglesias concert

Sri Lanka's President Maithripala Sirisena on Sunday slammed the organisers of a concert staged in capital Colombo last week featuring Latin-origin Hollywood popstar Enrique Iglesias.

The president said that the Enrique Iglesias concert had a negative impact on the local culture and tradition, Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday.

He noted that the December 20 concert saw some girls removing their undergarments and throwing these towards the singer while one girl got on stage and kissed him.

The president also expressed his displeasure at liquor being served free to those who purchased the most expensive tickets.

Tickets were sold at between $50 and $350 for the concert.

 

President Sirisena accused local authorities of failing to make proper inquiries before the concert was given a go-ahead, and added that in future he will take measures to ensure such events are not approved.

"I need to say these things. As a Sinhalese Buddhist, I cannot refrain from expressing my views. I will speak out when our traditions and culture is harmed," he said.

Sirisena said that some people organise events for the sake of making money but fail to understand that not everything is about the money.