Sri Lanka Navy intercepted 116 persons illegally bound for Australia in a multi-day trawler east off Batticaloa.
The trawler named “St. Francis Saviour” was intercepted last night by Sri Lanka Navy’s Patrol Craft attached to the Eastern Naval Command.
Navy’s timely action averted a human disaster that could have resulted in the rough sea conditions under which the perilous sea escapade had been undertaken, Navy media unit said.
Among the arrested persons are 3 Sinhalese and 113 Tamils that included 59 men, 26 women and 31 children. They are residents of Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Kilinochchi, Vavuniya, Mannar, Jaffna and Weligama.
They were brought to Trincomalee Harbour to be handed over to the Harbour Police for further investigations, navy said.
