国旗柄のビキニやドアマット売らないで、スリランカがアマゾンに要請

【コロンボＡＦＰ＝時事】スリランカ当局は14日、米ネット通販大手アマゾン・ドットコムに、スリランカ国旗をモチーフにしたビキニ、ブリーフ、ドアマットなどの中国製品をサイトから取り下げるよう要請したと明らかにした。（写真はスリランカのコロンボで、スリランカ国旗をモチーフにした中国製のビキニが販売されている米ネット通販大手アマゾン・ドットコムのページを見る女性の手）
　スリランカは国旗や仏教のシンボルの不当な扱いに極めて敏感な国。
　同国はアマゾンに正式に抗議し、中国当局には同様の製品の製造と販売をやめさせるよう求めたと発表した。
　在米スリランカ大使館もこの問題を取り上げ、スリランカの知的財産権が侵害されていると米政府に訴えた。
　しかし、スリランカ政府の介入から２日たっても多くの業者が販売を継続。アマゾンでは複数の中国業者が、ドアマットを１０～２４ドル（約１１００～約２６００円）で、ブリーフやビキニを９．２０～１７．３０ドル（約１０００～約１９００円）で販売していた。
　あるユーザーはフェイスブックに、「中国はスリランカをこんなふうに見ている」と投稿。
　スリランカが膨大な対中債務を返済できなければ、中国がスリランカをドアマットのように扱うことを示唆しているのではないかとの懸念や、「対中債務を返せなければ、必ずトイレットペーパーにスリランカ国旗を印刷するはずだ」という書き込みも見られた。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2021/03/15-11:50）

Sri Lanka has asked retail giant Amazon to take down bikinis, briefs and doormats featuring the nation's lion flag from its site, authorities said Sunday, two days after it protested against the Chinese-made products.
The country is highly sensitive to what it sees as any misuse of its national flag, as well as Buddhist symbols.
Sri Lanka said it had lodged a formal protest with the online retailer and asked Chinese authorities to ensure an end to the manufacture and sale of similar products.
The company which marketed the product on Amazon was requested by letter from the embassy to immediately cease selling the doormats and any such products, misusing the Sri Lanka flag, the Sri Lankan embassy in China said in a statement.
Sri Lanka's embassy in Washington said it had also taken up the issue, and had complained to the US government over what it called a violation of intellectual property rights of the South Asian nation.
However, two days after Sri Lanka's intervention, dozens of retailers were still selling the flag-themed items.
Several Chinese vendors on Amazon were offering the non-slip doormat at prices ranging from $10 to $24, and the lion-printed briefs and bikini from $9.20 to $17.30.
This is how the Chinese see Sri Lanka, said one Facebook user.
Another suggested the doormat was a forewarning of how future relations might play out in light of Sri Lanka's huge debt to China: May be it's the sign (of how) they gonna treat us when we fail to pay their loans.
If we are unable to pay our debts, they will print our flag on toilet paper for sure, wrote another on Facebook.
In 2010, Sri Lanka prevented US rap star Akon from visiting the country over one of his music videos, which featured scantily clad women dancing in front of a Buddha statue.
In 2002, Sri Lanka's Supreme Court ordered police and customs to seize CDs of Buddha Bar lounge music.
Two years ago, a Muslim woman was arrested for wearing a dress with prints of a ship's steering wheel, which police mistook for Dharma Chakra, a Buddhist symbol.