Macon Phillips, the United States’ Coordinator for the Bureau of International Information Programs (IIP), is set to visit Sri Lanka in the coming days, reports Colombo Gazette.

Sri Lankan police have launched a drive to arrest lesbian couples across the island after the arrest of a couple in the south, reports Asian Mirror.

A trishaw driver in Avissawella reportedly called police to arrest a couple who were waiting by a bus stop in the town. The couple were subsequently detained and interrogated by the police.

Same sex marriages are not yet legal on the island and a spokesman from the Police Media Unit said laws were in place to punish those who behave "indecently" in public, like the couple in Avissawella.

Previously the Sri Lankan government had refused entry to the partner of the Norwegian ambassador to Sri Lanka, as the pair had a same-sex marriage.

At the time, then president Mahinda Rajapaksa stated:

“Lesbian marriages are not legal in our country. Our women will also want to behave in this manner if we permit such actions. Our Minister (GL Peiris) does not have the backbone to handle these issues. On one side there are lesbians and on the other there are the gays. Our Sinhala Buddhist identity would come to an end if we allowed these actions.”