Over stayers engaged in unethical conversion: minister

17 December 2015 11:22 am

Five foreigners who were arrested for overstaying their visas had engaged in unethical conversion of people of various faiths in the country, it was alleged in Parliament today.

As many as 402 foreign nationals who had illegally stayed in Sri Lanka after coming into the country using tourist visas had been arrested this year, Home Affairs Minister S. B. Navinna told Parliament.

The Minister, who was responding to an oral question raised by MP Buddhika Pathirana, said three foreign nationals have been found begging on the streets after coming into the country using tourist visas.

He said five had been arrested for unethical conversion of people belonging to various faiths.

The Minister said the over stayers were from countries such as India, France, Italy, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, China, Bangladesh and the US.
According to data revealed by the Minister, 159 out of a total of 402 had been from India and 107 from China. (Yohan Perera)