Sri Lanka Navy apprehended a local multi-day fishing trawler with 54 individuals, suspected to be on an illegal migration attempt to Australia via sea, during a search operation carried out in the eastern seas of the island in the wee hours of today (27).
In the search operation mounted in seas east of Batticaloa this morning, SLNS Rathnadeepa intercepted a suspicious local multi-day fishing trawler carrying 54 persons who were suspected to be attempting to illegally migrate from the island to Australia.
Among the apprehended individuals were 52 males including 05 persons involved in this racket and 02 females. Along with the suspects, the fishing vessel used for this illegal act was also held by the Navy.
The suspects held in this operation are residents of Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Mullaitivu and Jaffna, aged 19 to 53. They will be handed over to the Trincomalee Harbour Police for onward legal proceedings, the navy said.
The Navy urges the public to avoid being convicted before the law by being caught in the trap of smugglers who mislead the innocent. The Navy also warns the public that their lives could be in grave danger by attempting to make illegal immigration using unsafe vessels.
