83 asylum seekers arrested in Trinco

20 August 2012 09:52 am Views - 3506

At least 83 people bound to Australia were arrested by the Navy together with two multi-day trawlers today in the Trincomalee seas.

A trawler named “Kavindi” with 39 persons including 31 Tamils (26 men, a woman, a girl and 3 boys) and 8 Sinhalese were on board and the other named “Prasansani” with 44 persons including 35 Tamils, 6 Sinhalese and 3 Muslims (43 men and a woman) on board were intercepted 15 nautical miles off Trincomalee by a Fast Naval Patrol Craft attached to the Eastern Naval Command, the Navy said.

The arrested persons are residents of Jaffna, Mullaitivu, Trincomalee, Muttur, Kochchikade, Batticaloa, Habarana, Bulathsinhala, Balangoda, Kalpitiya, Padavi Sri-pura and Mannar. They were brought to the Trincomalee Harbour to be handed over to the CID for further investigations. (Pictures courtesy Navy.lk)