Another 76 illegal immigrants arrested

Ridma DISSANAYAKE

The Navy arrested another 76 persons bound for Australia in two multi-day trawlers on August 25 and 26.

Two trawlers named Rashith Putha and Sadev Putha I with illegal immigrants were ntercepted off Trincomalee and Manalkadu.

A trawler name Rashith Putha with 24 persons including 12 Tamils (10 men and two women) and 12 Muslims on board and the other multi-day trawler named Sadev Putha I with 52 Tamils including 45 men, five women and two children on board were intercepted off Trincomalee and Manalkadu.

Those arrested are residents of Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mullaithivu, Trincomalee, Muttur, Ampara, Batticaloa, Kinniya, Maradankeny, Chavakachcheriya and Peduruthuduwa.

They were brought to Trincomalee and Kankesanthurai Harbour to be handed over to the CID for further investigations. The Navy deployed a large number of Naval craft and troops in vulnerable areas to arrest asylum seekers trying to travel to Australia illegally, Navy Media Spokesman Commander Kosala Warnakulasooriya said.

“We have deployed vessels and Naval troops to arrest asylum seekers. All measures are in place to deploy more vessels and Navy personnel if the need arises,” the Commander said.