Navy arrests 54 ‘boat people’ bound for Australia

Sri Lanka Navy yesterday arrested 54 people illegally bound for Australia in a multi-day trawler, the navy said.

The trawler named “Kalyani” was intercepted 12 nautical miles east of Kalmunai by a fast naval patrol craft attached to the Eastern Naval Command.

Australian High Commission in Colombo quoting Foreign Minister Bob Carr said Sri Lanka is an important regional partner for Austral- ia and it has strong diplomatic relations with the island nation, Xinhua news agency reported. "We value our ongoing cooperation with Sri Lanka to combat people smuggling in our region. Sri Lanka has a rich cultural heritage and active community in Australia. It is estimated that 110,000 people of Sri Lankan origin are living and working in Australia," Carr said.

A surge in recent months has seen the number of Sri Lankans attempting to flee to Australia by boat rise to almost 4,000.

In an effort to prevent the numbers from rising further, the Australian government recently started an advertising campaign to discourage Sri Lankans from arriving on Australian shores, illegally.