Sri Lanka arrests hundreds of kissing couples
Police in Sri Lanka have rounded up nearly 200 couples caught kissing on the street after complaints that their displays of affection embarrassed others, an official said on Thursday. The amorous pairs have been briefly detained in Matara and Kurunegala districts over the past two weeks.
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"We have taken them into custody for indecent behavior at a public place," said police spokesman Prashantha Jayakody. "Usually we free them after informing their parents. Charges are not pressed."
One resident of Mataro, a town 160 kilometres south of Colombo, the capital, said that some couples sometimes went to the beach to be passionate because they could not afford a hotel.
Police in Sri Lanka are also known for detaining "umbrella lovers", who sit together under parasols along the promenade in Colombo.
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