By T.K.G.Kapila  

 A group of 41 Sri Lankan illegal immigrants arrested and deported by Australian authorities arrived in Sri Lanka last morning by air.  

They had voyaged by sea on board multi-day fishing trawlers only to be arrested in their attempt to enter Australia. They had been detained in Christmas Island pending deportation.   
 Investigations revealed that the majority of them were from Jaffna and Valaichennai areas.  

 Three senior officials of the Australian High Commission in Sri Lanka were waiting at Katunayake International Airport to handover the group to the Sri Lankan Immigration and Emigration authorities.   

The suspects were to be handed over to the CID unit in Katunayake International Airport and produced before Negombo magistrate after preliminary investigations conducted by the National Intelligence authorities.