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| Sunday, 29 February 2004 |
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Human smugglers opt for new strategy Crime Sunday by JAYAMPATHY JAYASINGHE Officials of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) are awaiting further instructions from Egyptian authorities about the fate of 54 Sri Lankans who were nabbed by Egyptian Port Authorities in the territorial waters of Egypt a fortnight ago. The Lankans had made an attempt to travel to Italy without visas or any other valid documents, police said. It all happened when a boat named "Ruhuna Kumara" carrying the Sri Lankans was intercepted by Egyptian Port Authority officials in the Suez Canal. The officials who boarded the vessel found that 44 Lankan passengers had passports, the others did not have any documents to travel to Italy. The boat heading towards Italy was to jettison the human cargo in European waters to be picked up by other facilitators. The Egyptian authorities are checking the bona fides of the Sri Lankans and their passports to ascertain whether the documents are forged. According to Senior Superintendent of Police, CID Immigration Unit, D.S.Y. Samaratunga, the CID is awaiting a further report from the Cairo police about the fate of the Sri Lankans. "We have flashed several messages to Cairo, but haven't had any feedback so far." He said if Cairo authorities decide to deport the 54 suspects to Sri Lanka action would be taken to prosecute them for violating the Immigration and Emigration Act. "The suspects would be arrested on arrival at the BIA and prosecuted in Courts," he added. SSP Samaratunga said human smugglers have now adopted a different strategy to smuggle people to Europe after several Sri Lankan, Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi nationals were arrested last year, attempting to travel to Europe without visas or passports. Since last August, not a single foreigner had been caught in Sri Lanka attempting to leave for Europe. The facilitators have now adopted a different strategy by taking groups to India legally and from there to Europe by boat. "However, it is not clear from which point they sail to Europe. We have alerted the Interpol about this trend in human smuggling," he said. Last year police arrested 226 Sri Lankans, 398 Pakistanis, 318 Indians, 35 Bangladeshis, five Georgians and a Russian and a Ukrainian attempting to leave to Europe without visas or any other valid documents. The Suez Canal had been the gateway to Europe for vessels sailing from Asian countries. A large number of refugees travel to Europe via Cairo by boat with the help of facilitators having links with Cairo authorities. Very often they turn a blind eye to refugee groups passing through the Suez Canal. It had been revealed that authorities in Cairo charge sums ranging from US$ 220 from each refugee to sail through the canal. Because of this, Italian authorities have tightened security in and around the Suez Canal by posting Immigration Officers to prevent illegal immigrants entering Italy. Last July, several Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and Sri Lankans were arrested by the Negombo police while attempting to leave to Italy and Greece. This year, the Navy intercepted a boat in the high seas off Negombo coast and detected 177 suspects bound for Italy. The suspects were later handed over to the Harbour police. The Navy was successful for the second time in arresting 65 people bound to Italy when they intercepted a vessel in the high seas off the Negombo coast. The suspects were later handed over to the CID for further investigations. However, the biggest human smuggling case was detected by the CID with the help of the Navy in Dickwella, Tangalle last year, where 254 Pakistanis were arrested while trying to board a ship to Italy. The suspects have been deported to their respective countries after serving jail term and paying fines. The Embassies of their countries had intervened on their behalf through the Foreign Ministry, and a scheme was worked out with the concurrence of the Attorney Generals Department to deport them. However, the case filed against the ship's Captain, a Russian, and the Second Officer, an Ukrainian, and five crew members is still pending before the Tangalle Magistrate's Court. The vessel owned by a Greek national has been routinely used to smuggle people to Italy. |
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