 |
| Reaching australia |
Sri Lanka Navy had intercepted nearly 2400 Sri Lankans bound to Australia from 1 January 2012 to date, Navy Media Spokesperson Commander Kosala Warnakulasuriya told Asian Tribune.
Accordingly he said all such persons bound to Australia who had been arrested by the Navy had been handed over to Criminal Investigation Department after lodging records of their basic information for further investigations.
“We have deployed all our resources, crafts and ships to mitigate this risk,” Commander Warnakulasuriya said adding that Australian government had recently appreciated the efforts being taken up by Sri Lankan Navy to stop illegal migrants from Sri Lanka to Australia.
Commander Warnakulasuriya further added that that although there are increasing illegal immigrants bound to Australia from Sri Lanka and Indonesia; Australian Government had appreciated Sri Lankan efforts to stop illegal migrants whilst Indonesian’s attempts to mitigate the illegal immigration risk had been not successful.
Increasing illegal immigration to Australia had been a growing concern during last few years amidst number of interceptions by Sri Lankan Navy to stop Sri Lankans illegally bound to Australia.
Yesterday on 30 September 2012 Sri Lanka Navy intercepted 36 persons illegally bound for Australia in a multi-day trawler. The trawler named “ABI” was intercepted by a Fast Naval Patrol Craft attached to the Eastern Naval Command, 20 nautical miles off Koduwakattu seas. It was later revealed in reports among the arrested persons are 28 Tamils, 07 Sinhalese and a Muslim that included 25 males, 03 women and 08 children.
The residents were supposed to be from Jaffna, Vavuniya, Mannar, Mullaithivu, Trincomalee, Valachchenai and Kalpitiya.
 |
| Sri Lankan refugees aboard a boat in Indonesia. Picture: Oka Budhi |
In the Month of September 2012
As per reports, nearly over 850 Australia bound Sri Lankans had been intercepted by Navy during this September 2012. On 1st September Sri Lanka Navy apprehended 05 persons who were engaged in human smuggling in a multi-day trawler. The trawler named “Rooth Baba” was intercepted 06 nautical miles off Mullaithivu by a Fast Naval Patrol Craft attached to the Eastern Naval Command.
Sri Lanka Navy intercepted 54 persons illegally bound for Australia in a multi-day trawler in the early hours of 06th September 2012. The trawler named “Shadishna” was intercepted by a Fast Naval Patrol Craft attached to the Southern Naval Command, 06 nautical miles off Mirissa.
Among the arrested persons were 47 Tamils, 05 Sinhalese and 02 Muslims, residing in Jaffna, Vavuniya, Colombo, Kilinochchi, Mullaithivu and Trincomalee.
Similarly, on 7th September Sri Lanka Navy intercepted 58 persons illegally bound for Australia in a multi-day trawler in the early hours. The trawler named “Devmini” was intercepted by a Fast Naval Patrol Craft attached to the Eastern Naval Command 19 nautical miles off Boulder Point in Trincomalee. Among the arrested persons are 35 Tamils, 03 Sinhalese and 20 Muslims including 44 males, 06 women and 08 children. They were residents of Jaffna, Vavuniya, Batticaloa, Muthur, Kalpitiya, Negombo, Mullaithivu and Trincomalee.
Sri Lanka Navy intercepted 02 Multi – day Trawlers named “Theres Nilusha” and Mangala” were illegally headed for Australia 20 nautical miles east of Trincomalee in the early hours on 8th September 2012. The intercepted trawlers were brought to the Trincomalee harbour with 146 persons including 132 Tamils, 10 Sinhalies and 04 Muslims on board. Among the arrested persons were including 107 males, 16 women and 23 children. They were residents of Jaffna, Mullaithivu, Vavuniya, Batticaloa, Arachchikattuwa, Chilaw, Kilinochchi, Trincomalee, and Mannar.
Sri Lanka Navy intercepted 45 persons illegally bound for Australia in a multi-day trawler in the early hours of 10th September 2012. The trawler named “Shaini Baba” was intercepted by a Fast Naval Patrol Craft attached to the Western Naval Command 20 nautical miles off Negombo.
Among the arrested persons are 35 Tamils, 09 Sinhalese and a Muslim. They were residents of Negombo, Mullaithivu, Vavuniya, Mannar, Jaffna, Kalmunei, Hatton, Trincomalee and Wennappuwa.
Further Sri Lanka Navy intercepted 53 persons illegally bound for Australia in a multi-day trawler on 11th September 2012. The trawler named “Sinhale 4” was intercepted by a Fast Naval Patrol Craft attached to the Eastern Naval Command 16 nautical miles off Pigeon Island in Trincomalee.
Among the arrested persons are 49 Tamils, 03 Muslims and a Sinhalese that included 42 males, 03 women and 08 children. They were residents of Jaffna, Vavuniya, and Trincomalee.
Sri Lanka Navy arrested 86 persons illegally bound for Australia in 02 multi-day trawlers on 13th September 2012. The trawler named “Senesha Duwa” with 67 persons including 58 Tamils and 09 Sinhalese on board and the other named “Seloni Duwa” with 19 persons including 14 Tamils and 05 Sinhalese on board were intercepted 20 nautical miles off Chilaw. Among the arrested persons were 79 men, 02 women and 05 children (02 boys and 03 girls). They are residents of Jaffna, Mullaithivu, Vavuniya, Kilinochchi, Chilaw, Mannar, Negombo and Anamaduwa.
Meanwhile Sri Lanka Navy’s Offshore Patrol Vessel, SLNS Samudura, rescued 52 Australia bound persons while stranded in the southern deep seas due to an engine defect in their multi-day trawler. The trawler had left from Chilawon 26th July and the tragedy had struck on 23rd August after a month into its illegal voyage. SLNS Samudura was dispatched accordingly to the location and the fear-stricken passengers were rescued approximately 225 nautical miles off Great Basses on 14th September 2012.
Sri Lanka Navy arrested 86 persons who had been illegally heading for Australia in a multi-day trawler in the seas 62 nautical miles off Galle on 21st September 2012. The over-crowded trawler, named “Laksiri”, was intercepted by a Fast Naval Craft attached to the Southern Naval Command.
Among the arrested were 59 Tamils, 18 Muslims and 09 Sinhalese. There were 76 men, 04 women and 06 children that include 04 boys and 02 girls, in the group. They were residents of Thalai-mannar, Trincomalee, Vavuniya, Aluthgama, Beruwela, Puttlam, Jaffna, Colombo, Killinochchi, Mullaithivu and Kegalle.
On 23rd September 2012, Sri Lanka Navy arrested 85 persons illegally bound for Australia in 02 multi-day trawlers. A trawler named “Mihara” with 35 persons including 26 Tamils and 09 Sinhalese (33 men and 02 women) on board was intercepted by a Fast Naval Patrol Craft attached to the Western Naval Command, 15 nautical miles off Chilaw Seas. The other boat named “Sudu Duwa” with 50 persons including 45 Tamils, 04 Muslims and a Sinhalese on board was intercepted off Point Pedro seas by a Fast Naval Patrol Craft attached to the Northern Naval Command. The arrested persons were residents of Jaffna, Mullaithivu, Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Kalpitiya, Chilaw, Vavuniya, Kilinochchi, Devundra, Tangalle, Weligama and Mannar.
Sri Lanka Navy intercepted 19 persons illegally bound for Australia in a multi-day trawler on 26th September 2012. The trawler named “Kavisha Putha” was intercepted by a Fast Naval Patrol Craft attached to the Southern Naval Command, 27 nautical miles off Dondra. Among the arrested persons were 03 Tamils, 09 Muslims and 07 Sinhalese. They were all males and residents of Colombo, Vavuniya, Trincomalee, Pulmudei and Dikwella.
Sri Lanka Navy intercepted 77 persons illegally bound for Australia in a multi-day trawler on 28th September 2012. The trawler named “Nirshani” was intercepted by a Fast Naval Patrol Craft attached to the Western Naval Command, 20 nautical miles off Thoduwawa seas. Among the arrested persons were 61 Tamils, 14 Sinhalese and 02 Muslims that included 75 males, a woman and a child. They are residents of Jaffna, Vavuniya, Batticaloa, Puttlam, Colombo, Udappuwa, Mannar, Chilaw and Kalpitiya.
 |
| Detained in Kollam India, ( photo:DC) |
Many Sri Lankans started to migrate to Australia
Recent times, many Sri Lankans have started to migrate to Australia on illegal ways by paying exorbitant money to Human Smugglers with a view of obtaining Asylum in Australia.
In the Australian context, an asylum seeker is an applicant for a protection visa. They are assessed at the primary stage of processing by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (the department), and at the review stage of processing by the Refugee Review Tribunal.
While Australia is 118 times larger than Sri Lanka, Australia still has only 22.62 million population compared to 20.27 million population in Sri Lanka, which is only an excess of 2.34 million.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, in mid-2010 nearly 5.99 million of the Australian resident populations were born outside Australia, representing 26.8% of the total Australian resident population. And there were an estimated Sri Lankan born population of 92,243 compared to 70,908 in 2006.
By J.A. Fernando in Colombo
– Asian Tribune –