12 Maldivians were summoned to Police in neighbouring Sri Lanka on Sunday.
The 12 people were summoned throughout the day for not carrying an official identification such as passport when out and about, overstaying visas and possessing expired passports. There were three children among the summoned people.
The three children and their mother were summoned as their passports were not found in their place of residence when searched by authorities. They were later released when a document stating that their passports had been handed over to Sri Lankan Immigration for visa processing was provided.
Another woman was arrested for overstaying her visa by one day. The woman was later released on Monday, while a second woman who overstayed her visa by six months was released under bail and ordered to pay a fine.
Four Maldivian men were summoned while at a coffee shop without an official identification document. They were also released on Monday.
While three Maldivians were remanded into custody by the courts, these include a person residing in Sri Lanka without a visa, a person who was out and about without a form of identification and was carrying a type of cigarette prohibited from being imported into Sri Lanka, and a person who overstayed his visa by nine months and possessed a passport that expired eight months ago.
The individual residing in Sri Lanka without a visa, and the person accused of importing and using the prohibited brand of cigarette have both been released under bail. However, the remand of the individual who overstayed his visa by nine months and possessed an expired passport was extended to ten days.
Security in Sri Lanka was tightened after the Easter Sunday terrorist attack that took place in the country on April 21 last year. The Sri Lankan government has instructed those residing in the country to always carry a form of identification when out and to always keep passports easily accessible so that it can be shown to authorities when their residences are being searched.
While it is an offense to overstay visas, the Maldivian Embassy in Sri Lanka has previously stated that the actions of few Maldivians in Sri Lanka who do not abide by the laws cause difficulties to other Maldivian citizens residing in the country.
