Railways GM deems viral video of massage therapy for tourists on train as ‘very insulting’

The General Manager of Sri Lanka Railways J.I.D. Jayasundara described the recent video widely circulating on social media—showing a group of locals performing massage therapy for foreign tourists on a train—as “very insulting”.

Joining a press briefing today, the Railways General Manager stated: “As a Sri Lankan as well as an employee of the Department of Railways, I view this incident as very insulting.”

Furthermore, he stated that based on the reports he has received, the incident did not take place on a regular passenger train operated by Sri Lanka Railways, but on a special train hired by a private travel company.

“As per the reports I have received so far, this incident did not take place on regular trains such as the ‘Odyssey’, ‘Udarata Manike’, or ‘Podi Manike’ trains. Private companies are allowed to hire trains from the Railway Department for tourism-related activities. This particular incident happened on a train hired by one such company,” he explained.

The Railways General Manager assured that steps were being taken to address the matter. He stated that the relevant authorities were informed to conduct an investigation and that the Tourist Police would also be notified.

“We will take immediate actions to prevent such incident in the future. An investigation has already been initiated, and we will recover any losses incurred from the responsible parties. Additional legal actions will also be pursued,” the Railways GM added.