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Message: <blockquote data-quote="lkdood" data-source="post: 7072440" data-attributes="member: 92282">The government has decided to reject a visa for popular international  R&B singer Akon to perform in Sri Lanka over allegations leveled  against him regarding a controversial video which showed scantily clad  women dancing around a Buddha statue. Akon was to perform in Sri Lanka  next month and a major tourism drive was also launched to bring down  fans from Asia for the concert.    Tourism Minister Achala Jagoda had met with President Mahinda Rajapaksa  this evening to discuss the issue regarding Akon performing in Colombo  and it is believed that the decision to refuse the singer a visa was  taken following the discussion, Tourism Ministry sources told Daily  Mirror online.    Earlier in the day the Tourism Minister had also met with other  officials involved with the concert to discus concerns raised over one  of his videos.         However, Lasantha Samarasinghe Director of Platinum Entertainment, the  organizers of the Akon concert said that he has not been officially  informed of a visa being rejected for the singer.         “We will take this up with the relevant authorities tomorrow,”  Samarasinghe told Daily Mirror online. Akon is featured in the video  'Sexy Chick' by David Guetta and the making of the video shows bikini  clad women dancing around a Buddha statue near a pool. Buddhist monks  had called on the government to cancel the concert on the basis Akon  appeared in the video and the video degraded Buddhism.         However organisers of the concert had said that Akon respected Buddhism  and that the video was not his work. Earlier in the day Managing  Director of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotions Bureau, Dileep Mudadeniya  told Daily Mirror online that the Tourism Ministry held discussions with  the concerned authorities over the concert.         “There are many anti Sri Lankan elements who are trying to prevent such  an international star from coming into the country. But at the same  time there are some strong religious sentiments which are being raised.  Both aspects are being studied,” Mudadeniya said.         When asked if the bureau was pressurized to reconsider facilitating the  concert, Mudadeniya said the ultimate decision they take was not a  result of outside pressure.      “There are a lot of concerns but that does not mean we are pressurized  by anyone. The decision the minister makes is not a result of any  pressure,” Mudadeniya said.     Dailymirror</blockquote>

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