A Navy Patrol craft on Thursday morning intercepted a multi-day trawler with 57 persons attempting to illegally migrate to Australia.
A Navy Patrol craft on Thursday morning intercepted a multi-day trawler with 57 persons attempting to illegally migrate to Australia.
The naval craft from the Eastern area intercepted the trawler 40 nautical miles East of Pulmudai, around 11.00 a.m. The would-be migrants were from Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Killinochchi and Negombo.
Navy spokesman Commander Kosala Warnakulasuriya told The Island that the number of asylum seekers intercepted by the navy alone had risen to 934 since January with the latest detentions.
The suspects had been handed over to CID on the same day, after initial inquiry by the Navy when they were brought to Trincomalee harbour in the evening, Warnakulasuriya said.
(Island)