News
Australian dream shattered: 15 smugglers among nearly 140 arrested since June 23
Patrol boat donated by ex-PM Abbot involved in B’coa detection
By Shamindra Ferdinando
A patrol boat donated by Australia to Sri Lanka years ago made the successful interception of a fishing trawler carrying illegal migrants heading to Australia recently.
Navy headquarters spokesman Captain Indika de Silva yesterday (28) told The Island that the SLNS Ratnadeepa (formerly Hervey Bay) made the detection in the seas east of Batticaloa in the early hours of Monday (27).
Australia delivered two Bay Class patrol boats to Sri Lanka in 2014 following a pledge given by the then Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbot during the CHOGM (Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting) in the previous year.
The Bay class patrol boats are used by the Australian Customs Marine Unit and Border Protection Service.
The Batticaloa detection led to the arrest of 49 males and two women hoping to seek refugee status in Australia. In addition to them, the Navy arrested five crew of the trawler. They were described as human smugglers.
On Monday night, SLNS Nandimithra, formerly of the Israeli Navy, intercepted another trawler in the western seas off Negombo, carrying 29 men and six women and seven children. Captain de Silva said that in addition to the illegal migrants, five smugglers were taken in.
Responding to The Island queries, the senior Navy officer said that they had enhanced ground as well deployment at sea to thwart illegal migration. Monday’s detections raised the number of interceptions made by the Navy to three, made since Australian Home Affairs and Cyber Security Minister Clare O’Neill visited Colombo last week to reiterated their commitment of ‘Operation Sovereign Borders’ meant to curb illegal migration.
Captain de Silva said that the smugglers were making attempts to move would be refugees in smaller boats to trawlers. According to him, they were trying to leave from Negombo-Chilaw and Batticaloa-Kalmunai stretches.
The Navy has made a spate of detections during the last 10 weeks while some have succeeded in reaching Tamil Nadu.
