Navy nabs 85 in fishing craft heading for Australia

By Norman Palihawadane

The Lanka Navy yesterday took into custody 85 Sri Lankans, who were trying to travel to Australia illegally.The suspects were nabbed during a patrol conducted off Baticaloa during the early hours yesterday. A Navy patrol boat intercepted a local multiday fishing trawler carrying and found the 85 suspects.

Among the apprehended individuals were, 60 males including the boat operators and 14 females who are over 18 years of age and 11 minors below 18 years of age. The suspects held were identified as residents of Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Muttur, Kilinochchi, Jaffna and Madhu.At the time this edition went to the press the suspects along with the multiday fishing trawler were being brought to the Trincomalee Harbor, the Navy said.

They would be handed over to the Trincomalee Harbor Police for onward legal proceedings.The Navy said that during a separate operation carried out in Mohoththiwaram beach in Kaththankudi with Police STF commandos led to the apprehension of five suspects and four dinghies that used to transfer the 85 illegal immigrants to the multiday fishing trawler. Those suspects and their dinghies were handed over to the Kaththankudi Police for onward legal action.