- Wildlife parks, archeological sites etc; openly charge tourists’ exorbitant rates in comparison to locals
- Street food vendors on the dock from following suit
The street food vendor, who was captured on video quoting a price much higher than normal for a famous Sri Lankan dish named ‘Koththu Roti’ and subsequently who chased away a tourist after he questioned the price, was arrested yesterday by the Aluthkade Police in Colombo, as the food stall falls under its jurisdiction.
The arrested man is expected to be produced in court by the Aluthkade police on Wednesday the 17th of April 2024.
This entire incident was captured by a tourist named Emeka Iwueze, a social media influencer who used his personal video camera to do so.
The subsequent video posted online soon went viral due to the manner in which Iwueze was treated by the street vendor, sparking outrage among many social media commentators, particularly over the tourist’s mistreatment.
Emeka’s video posted on YouTube titled ” I can’t believe this happened to me in Sri Lanka” has garnered over 150,000 views since the incident.
This is how he described what took place on his YouTube channel “During this exhilarating street food adventure in the vibrant Aluth Kade area of Colombo, Sri Lanka, my objective was to immerse myself in the local culinary scene and forge connections with the community. As I traversed the bustling streets, my senses heightened by the aromas of sizzling delicacies, I was drawn to a particular stall that piqued my curiosity. Approaching the stall, I was met with a man whose demeanor exuded hostility, later revealed to be the manager. Despite his unfriendly disposition, I engaged him in conversation about the array of food offerings. However, when he disclosed the prices, I couldn’t shake off a nagging suspicion that I was being overcharged. In a bid to clarify, I sought confirmation from the cook regarding the actual cost. To my dismay, this seemingly innocent inquiry provoked the manager’s ire, leading to a terse exchange and an ultimatum to vacate the premises. Feeling unfairly treated, I couldn’t help but question the ethics behind his reaction. In my view, seeking transparency in pricing shouldn’t warrant such hostility. If I was wrong, I do apologize.”
It was barely a couple of days ago when another similar selfie video made by another tourist also went viral on social media platforms. This was after another food seller in the Kalutara area charged the tourist a whopping sum Rs 800 for one small vadai (savoury fried dough made from lentils, potato etc) and a cup of black tea.
However, the arrest of the street vendor by the Aluthkade Police is bound to raise many legal questions.
Firstly, did he cheat or steal from the tourist? No.
Secondly, did he physically assault the tourist? No.
Then on what grounds was he arrested by the Aluthkade Police?
It must be noted that Sri Lanka has thousands of unregulated street food stalls, where vendors are at the liberty to charge the public as they wish. Sadly, the Consumer Affairs Authority is not pro-active in ensuring that regulation is adhered to by street stall vendors and or other food stalls. Hence this incident also falls within those boundaries when it came to price.
The probable emotional issue associated with this incident is more behavioral as to how he was spoken to verbally and emotional as to how he was made to feel, especially as a tourist in an foreign country.
Many also stated that this type of video brings about bad publicity and it would be a deterrent for tourists to visit the country. The Ministry of Tourism is currently running a huge campaign to increase the inbound tourism sector and bring in much needed foreign currency that the country badly needs at present. It may be in the best interest of Sri Lanka if the Minister of Tourism Harin Fernando can get down the YouTube influencer Emeka Iwueze to the Ministry of Tourism and offer him a taste of true Sri Lankan hospitality.
There is however one more important question that needs to be asked.
Is it permissible then for the Government of Sri Lanka and or permit certain other business entities to charge tourists exorbitant rates compared to locals, when visiting places of interest such as archeological sites, wildlife parks, elephant orphanage or bird sanctuaries etc; when on holiday? If the answer is Yes, then why would it be any different for a street food vendor to charge tourists a rate higher than locals in a similar manner?
Vendor
can’t chase away the tourist or anyone from the street. He can be warned for that. It is not a tourist hotel so he can’t overcharge or he should put a board giving prices for tourists like in Archeological sites.
We, 🇱🇰 has had top idiots from minister of Tourism down to the lowest post of that ministry. Long years back they should have formulated laws to punish such double standard pricing for tourists. I have traveled in many developed countries where no extra charge is levied from tourists. If you are a senior citizen, they give a discounted price, too!! In Sri Lanka every mothers son & daughter chargers a higher price from tourists, wehether it be the private or public sector. No one can justify selling a plain tea & a Uludu wadei for 1000 rupees! Shop owners are supposed to price mark their goods. Even at this eleventh hour the State should enforce stringent rules to punish rude & unscrupulous vendors of any goods to tourists.
Yes100%
Yes to all your comments but if the customer ask for menu in the 1st place and if you don’t have one ask him what he would like to have and should mentioned the cost for that item then and there but this thug asked the cook to make it straightaway but the customer wanted to know the price then straightaway the thug raising his voice and pointing his finger at the customer forcing him to leave the area(i don’t think he is the owner of the street)also he was pushing him on the customers shoulder.
According to civic law he shouldn’t have touched any part of his body which he did.
I suggest that Emeka is in Nepal now and when he comes to Srilanka Harin Fernando should be informed by the airport authorities also harin should welcome him with proper royalty.