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Thirty-seven Sri Lankans who attempted illegal entry into Australia in mid-September were returned by a special charter flight yesterday. (Nov. 14).

The latest deportation of unlawful arrivals sends a strong message that Australia will continue to fight people trafficking in order to preserve the integrity of its borders, a Press Release from the Australian High Commission in Sri Lanka said.

The group left Cocos Islands aboad a charter aircraft on Tuesday and arrived in Colombo on Wednesday.

Thirty-three of the 37 men arrived illegally by boat at Cocos Island on Saturday 15 September. The remaining four had been held in a mainland Australia detention facility having arrived in April 2001.

Six crew members have been taken to mainland Australia to face charges of people smuggling. Crew members from a previous Sri Lankan boat were sentenced in Australia to jail terms ranging from two to five and a half years.

The Australian Government has been working closely with other countries to secure the return of people found not to have a legal basis to remain in Australia.

Last financial year 9,523 people were removed from Australia - including those who had overstayed their visas or breached visa conditions, the High Commission said.

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