SL Navy nabs 51 for illegal migration to Australia

The Sri Lankan Navy on Sunday nabbed 51 people who were planning to illegally migrate from the island nation to Australia through the sea route, according to an official statement, a fourth such incident in the last one week owing to the ongoing economic crisis in the nation.

According to the Sri Lankan Navy, all those attempting to illegally migrate were arrested after a fishing trawler carrying them was seized in the eastern seas.

“A search operation carried out by the Navy in the eastern seas on Sunday morning led to the seizure of a local multi-day fishing trawler carrying 51 persons, who are suspected to be on an illegal migration attempt to a foreign country via sea,” the statement issued by the Navy said.

This was the fourth such incident in the last one week. On Saturday, a team of the Navy, the Sri Lanka Coast Guard and the Police, arrested 24 individuals, all suspected to be illegally migrating to Australia, in Marawila on the western coast.

The arrests came as they were lodged in the locality, awaiting to migrate from the island by sea, the Navy said. Similarly, on June 27 and 28 over 100 illegal immigrants were arrested. The police said such attempts to flee the country are due to the ongoing

economic crisis and have increased since the start of this year.

The government of Australia for many years now carried out local media campaigns to deter people from falling victims to immigration rackets. The island nation is facing an acute economic crisis that resulted in foreign debt default.