Sri Lanka First Country To Ban 'Da Vinci Code'
Sri Lanka is the latest country to cross swords with Sony Films over The Da Vinci Code. According to the state-run Colombo Daily News, President Mahinda Rajapakse has banned the film following an appeal by the Catholic Bishops Conference. While calls for the film to be banned in such Asian countries as the Philippines, Thailand and India have arisen in recent weeks, Sri Lanka appears to be the first to issue an order halting the screening of the film. The bishops had charged that The Da Vinci Code was the product of a "totally perverted mind and ... adversely affects the most sacred beliefs of our people."