Four Lankans trying to reach Australia released

Four Sri Lankan men caught illegally trying to sail to Australia from East Timor have been released from detention.

The men were among a group of 16 Sri Lankans who were arrested on East Timor's south coast last Sunday, while attempting to sail to Australia on a fishing boat.

The Immigration Department released the four men after discovering they had documents permitting them to stay in East Timor.

The prosecutor yesterday dropped all criminal charges against the group.

The remaining 12 Sri Lankans have been asked to make final declarations to the Immigration Department, who will decide their fate in coming days.

"Some of them have said they might have problems going back (to Sri Lanka)", Antonio Gonsalves, a UN police officer working with East Timor's Immigration Department, said.

The Sri Lankans arrived sporadically in Dili between January and June this year, before travelling together over the weekend.

The men had paid a Malaysian-based smuggling syndicate between US$ 5,000 - US$ 10,000 each to get them to Australia, an Australian newspaper reported.

Only seven of the Sri Lankan men had passports with them when they were arrested on Sunday.

Shepparton News, Australia