The Foreign Employment Bureau said today it was not responsible for the large number of Sri Lankans who are currently in custody in Malaysia on charges of having flouted their visa conditions.

Many Sri Lankans are reported to have obtained tourist visas and travelled to Malaysia in search of employment.

FEB Deputy General Manager Mangala Randeniya said the Bureau would not assist such people to secure their release.

"They are flouting the law and we have received reports of several such cases. We will not give any assistance to anyone who willfully flouts the law of another country and in such cases we are in no way prepared to take responsibility," he said.

Mr.Randeniya said about 30 such cases is reported to the Sri Lankan Embassy in Malaysia on a daily basis.

"The people who are arrested do not name the agencies which send them there from Sri Lanka so we are unable to warn potential travellers of the serious consequences they face if found violating visa conditions in Malaysia," he said.

However, this stance is quite opposite to the stance taken by the government in the case of housemaids currently in custody or in employment in the Middle East.

A large number of unscrupulous job agencies are known to operate in Sri Lanka.(Darshana Sanjeewa)