Pangolin found inside freezer: Tourism authority launches immediate inquiry

The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority has launched an inquiry into the restaurant where a pangolin was found inside a freezer. 

The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) said in a statement that, if found guilty, the license of the restaurant would be cancelled. 

 “We will not hesitate to take action against tourism service providers that fail to adhere to the country’s legal and regulatory framework. 

«With the cancellation of the license,» the SLTDA said, «the restaurant would no longer be considered a legal tourism service provider in Sri Lanka.» 

The SLTDA said, in such an event, it would also request the Department of Immigration and Emigration to cancel the visa of a Chinese national who functioned as the restaurant operator. 

A similar request will be made to the Excise Department to cancel its liquor license.

The restaurant in question, ‹Tong Ni Roast Meet›, is located at Walukarama Mawatha, Colombo o3.  «Our intention is to ensure that all registered tourism industry service providers adopt the highest professional processes. We will expedite our screening processes with the establishment of the Enforcement Unit under the SLTDA,» the statement said.  

The Police found the Pangolin inside a freezer of the restaurant when they conducted an inspection following a tip-off, last week.