Sri Lankan Navy nabs 51 people illegally migrating to Australia to escape economic crisis
India Today
The Sri Lankan Navy on Sunday nabbed 51 people who were planning to illegally migrate from the island nation to Australia through the sea route, according to an official statement, a fourth such incident in the last one week owing to the ongoing economic crisis in the nation.
According to the Sri Lankan Navy, all those attempting to illegally migrate were arrested after a fishing trawler carrying them was seized in the eastern seas.
“A search operation carried out by the Navy in the eastern seas this morning (July 3, 2022) led to the seizure of a local multi-day fishing trawler carrying 51 persons, who are suspected to be on an illegal migration attempt to a foreign country via sea,” the statement issued by the Navy said.
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This was the fourth such incident in the last one week.
On Saturday, a team of the Navy, the Sri Lanka Coast Guard and the Police, arrested 24 individuals, all suspected to be illegally migrating to Australia, in Marawila on the western coast.
The arrests came as they were lodged in the locality, awaiting to migrate from the island by sea, the Navy said.
