Seventeen Myanmar nationals leave hospital
Mahinda P Liyanage, Galle Daily News corr.
Seventeen Myanmar nationals, out of the total 32 survivors rescued by
the Sri Lanka Navy in the deep seas 250 nautical miles east of
Sangamankanda on Saturday, were discharged from the Karapitiya Teaching
Hospital hospital yesterday, the hospital's Deputy Director Jayampathi
Senanayake said.
Ven Maligavila Assagi thera, Chief Incumbent of Galle Sri
Gnanobhasa Meditation Centre who interpreted the statements
by the rescued Myanmar nationals on Sunday. Picture by
Mahinda P Liyanage, Galle Daily News correspondent |
The 32 Myanmar nationals, the survivors of a group of 125 who had
been marooned in Sri Lankan seas for 25 days, while towards Indonesia on
aboard a makeshift vessel, were rescued by the Navy offshore patrol
vessel attached to the Southern Naval Command on information received by
some Sri Lankan fishermen who noticed their plight.
Navy personnel who brought the survivors that comprised 31 adults and
a boy to the Galle harbour on Sunday, handed them over to the Galle
Harbour Police who dispatched them to the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital
for emergency treatment as they were suffering from severe dehydration
due to the long voyage and hunger.
Galle Harbour Police OIC Meshan de Silva said arrangements would be
made to send the Myanmar nationals to a detention camp in Colombo
through the Galle prisons following the receipt of a Court order.
The survivors discharged from hospital were to be produced before
Galle Chief Magistrate U S Kalansuriya yesterday evening.
The Foreign Ministry will make arrangements to send the Myanmar
nationals to their country Hospital sources said the remaining survivors
under treatment will have to spend a few days at the hospital until they
are fully recovered.
Hospital sources said a large number of locals visited the hospital
displaying their concern towards the stricken Myanmar nationals who
underwent a traumatic ordeal . |