13 March 2021 12:00 am Views - 157
By Jamila Hussain
Sri Lanka will alert the international trade organisation and raise its strongest objections over the sale of toilet mats and floor mats using the Sri Lankan national flag image on international sale websites including Amazon, a minister said yesterday.
State Minister of Marketing Development and Consumer Protection, Lasantha Alagiyawanna said authorities will take action against the foreign manufacturers and will also alert the Sri Lankan missions overseas to follow up on the matter.
Foreign Secretary Jayanath Colombage has already raised concerns with the Chinese Embassy in Colombo and has also alerted the Sri Lankan Embassy in Beijing to contact the manufacturer concerned in China manufacturing the mats. The Sri Lanka Embassy in Washington D.C has also been instructed to follow up on the matter with the advertising platform Amazon.
The mats, which are available in three sizes are available as non slip doormats while mats to cover the toilet seats are also available at different prices. However the Sri Lankan flag image is not the only image used, as the mats are available with the USA flag images, UK flag images as well as flag images from other countries.
The manufacturer listed on the sites show them to be based in China.
***The mats are available with the USA flag images, UK flag images as well as flag images from other countries