Sri Lankan police have rounded up hundreds of young lovers for kissing in public following complaints that the overt displays of affection caused embarrassment to others, an official said Thursday。

　　Nearly 200 couples have been briefly detained in the districts of Matara and Kurunegala over the past two weeks, police spokesman Prashantha Jayakody told AFP。

　　"We have taken them into custody for indecent behaviour at a public place," Jayakody said. "Usually we free them after informing their parents. Charges are not pressed."

　　A resident in the town of Matara, 160 kilometres (100 miles) south of Colombo, said young couples were sometimes acting intimately on the beach as many could not afford the privacy of hotels。

　　Sri Lankan police are also known to occasionally round up so-called "umbrella lovers" who shelter under parasols in scorching sun along the coastal promenade in the capital。

　　法新社10日报道，斯里兰卡警方围捕了上百对当街接吻的情侣。斯里兰卡一位官员表示，情侣间的这种亲密行为令很多斯里兰卡人尴尬不已，抱怨不断，警方因此展开此次突击行动。

　　斯里兰卡警方发言人称，过去两周内，警方仅在马特勒和库鲁内格勒两市就拘留了近200对当街接吻的情侣。

　　该发言人还称：“我们拘禁这些年轻人是因为他们在公共场合行为不雅。通常在告知他们的父母后，我们会将其释放。他们不会被起诉。“

　　一位居住在马特勒市的居民说，情侣之所以会在街上亲密，是因为他们没钱去旅馆开房间。

　　据悉，斯里兰卡警方偶尔还会跑到海边围捕所谓的“阳伞情侣”，即如果二人共撑一把阳伞在炽热的太阳下在海边散步，就有遭逮捕的危险。