Sri Lanka Navy intercepted 104 persons illegally bound for Australia in a multi-day trawler on 16th November 2012. The trawler named “ Ekamuthu” was intercepted by a Fast Naval Patrol Craft attached to the Western Naval Command 25 nautical miles off Thuduvai seas.
Among the arrested persons are 96 Tamils, 6 Sinhalese and 2 Muslims that included 90 males (81 men and 9 boys) and 14 women (10 women and 04 girls). They are residents of Jaffna, Vavuniya, Batticaloa, Puttlam, Colombo, Mannar, Ja-Ela, Negombo, Wattala, Ragama and Kalpitiya. They were brought to Mutwall Harbour to be handed over to the CID for further investigations.
[mappress] Naval Today Staff, November 19, 2012; Image: Sri Lanka Navy