Fleet of ships deployed:

Navy steps up patrolling in coastal areas

by Ranil WIJAYAPALA

The Sri Lanka Navy has deployed its fleet of ships and its resources to patrol all 'vulnerable' coastal areas that could be used by illegal immigrants as the illegal immigrants bound for Australia were reported from many coastal areas in the country during the past few weeks, Navy Spokesman Commander Kosala Warnakulasuriya told the Sunday Observer.

The Navy had arrested illegal immigrants from the East, West and Southern seas of Sri Lanka, he said.

He said that the Navy had sent the SLN Samudura on September 13 to rescue 52 people in a boat that was drifting in the sea 300 nautical miles South East of Sri Lanka.

Among those arrested were 49 Tamils, three Muslims and a Sinhalese including 42 males, three women and eight children. They are residents of Jaffna, Vavuniya, and Trincomalee. They were escorted to the Trincomalee Harbour to be handed over to the CID for further investigations.

On September 10, the Navy intercepted 45 people in a multi-day trawler Shaini Baba 20 nautical miles off Negombo.

They were later escorted to the Modera Fisheries Harbour to be handed over to the CID for further investigations.

The Navy also intercepted two Multi-day trawlers on September 8, 20 nautical miles east of Trincomalee.

The intercepted trawlers with 146 persons included 132 Tamils, 10 Sinhalese and four Muslims on board were brought to the Trincomalee harbour and were handed over to the CID for further investigations.

"We sent the Samudura from the Galle harbour on September 13 and the ship is now on its way back to the harbour after rescuing the people and the boat in distress.

They are scheduled to arrive at the Galle harbour today," he said.

The Navy Spokesman said that the Navy had apprehended 236 would-be illegal immigrants over the week ending yesterday and the total number of illegal immigrants detained from January this year is over 2,100. The Navy apprehended 86 would-be illegal immigrants bound for Australia in two multi-day trawlers on September 13, 20 nautical miles off Chilaw.

The trawler named Senesha Duwa had 67 people on board, including 58 Tamils and nine Sinhalese. The 19 people on board the Seloni Duwa included 14 Tamils and five Sinhalese.

They were residents of Jaffna, Mullaitivu, Vavuniya, Kilinochchi, Chilaw, Mannar, Negombo and Anamaduwa.

They were brought to the Modera Fisheries harbour to be handed over to the CID for further investigations. On September 11, the Navy intercepted 53 persons illegally bound for Australia on Sinhale 4, a multi-day trawler, 16 nautical miles off Pigeon Island in Trincomalee.