Hundreds of young couples in two Sri Lankan towns were detained for kissing in public following complaints about the embarrassment their "indecent behavior" caused, 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 behavior in a public place," Jayakody said.

The police said that, after sending them back to their parents, they will be issued with a warning that tougher measures will ensue if it happens again.

In the central town of Kurunegala, police have arrested about 350 youngsters responding to local residents'complaints about the annoyance caused by their overt displays of affection.

Many of the detained girls are school students aged about 15, the BBC reported Wednesday.

A resident in the town of Matara said young couples were sometimes acting intimately on the beach, as many cannot afford the privacy of hotels.

Sri Lankan police are also known to occasionally detain "umbrella lovers" along the coastal promenade in the capital.

In the capital city, under the influence of Westernization, such behavior may not be seen as offensive.People in rural areas deem it unacceptable, the BBC reported.

Agencies