Sri Lankan President wants Enrique Iglesias gig organisers to be whipped with toxic stingray tails

Sri Lanka's president says the organisers of an Enrique Iglesias concert should be whipped as punishment over the behaviour of some female fans. Maithripala Sirisena said scenes of local women running on stage to kiss the singer and throwing their underwear at him, was "most uncivilised".



He said the organisers should be "whipped with toxic stingray tails" - referring to an ancient punishment. The concert was held in the capital Colombo on 20 December. Mr Sirisena said he had been shocked that during the gig, local women removed their bras in public, threw their underwear at the pop star, and rushed on stage to hug and kiss him.



"This is most uncivilised behaviour that goes against our culture," he told a public meeting. "I don't advocate that these uncivilised women who removed their brassieres should be beaten with toxic stingray tails, but those who organised such an event should be." Whipping with the tails of stingrays was reportedly a punishment reserved for hardened criminals in medieval Sri Lanka.


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It is also a popular expression of severe castigation. The event's organisers, a company owned by two Sri Lankan cricketers, apologised on Monday. Live Events, owned by Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, admitted that security "failed alarmingly" and apologised for the "negative experience" during the concert.