Navy prevents 83 illegal migrants from sailing to Australia

Tuesday, 21 August 2012 01:55 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Sri Lanka Navy yesterday arrested another 83 illegal migrants bound for Australia and handed them over to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) for further investigations.

A Fast Naval Patrol Craft attached to the Eastern Naval Command has intercepted two multi-day trawlers with the 83 illegal migrants onboard in the sea 15 nautical miles off Trincomalee.

The arrested people onboard both trawlers included 66 Tamils, 14 Sinhalese and 3 Muslims. One of the trawlers had 31 Tamils comprising 26 men, a woman, a girl and 3 boys and 8 Sinhalese and of the 43 men and a woman on the other boat, 35 were Tamils, 6 were Sinhalese and 3 were Muslims.

The arrested persons are residents of Jaffna, Mullaitivu, Trincomalee, Muttur, Kochchikade, Batticaloa, Habarana, Bulathsinhale, Balangoda, Kalpitiya, Padavi Sri-Pura and Mannar.