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Nine deserting Navy personnel face legal action in US
View(s):Nine absconding Navy personnel who jumped ship after taking part in a joint exercise in the United States (US) and were later scheduled to join a Sri Lankan Navy crew to bring a decommissioned US Coast Guard Cutter back home have been referred to US law enforcement authorities, sources said.
The Sri Lanka Navy officially took up the issue through diplomatic channels with the intervention of Sri Lankan embassy in Washington and US Coast Guard counterparts to track them down. They will have to face inquiries as per naval disciplinary procedures as well, a senior Navy official said. “Individuals who break US immigration laws can be subject to arrest, detention, and deportation, and those who accrue unlawful presence in the US can be prevented from returning to the US for up to 10 years,” a US embassy spokesperson told the Sunday Times while confirming that the matter had been referred to US authorities.
Last October, a crew of Sri Lankan sailors travelled to the US to train alongside their U.S. counterparts before returning to Sri Lanka on the P-627- the former U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Douglas Munro which was decommissioned recently from its fleet and given to Sri Lanka under a military aid pact. This would be the third ship gifted to the Sri Lanka Navy by the US.
“The US values continued partnership with the government, military, and people of Sri Lanka, and will continue to provide generous humanitarian assistance, ongoing development assistance, and military training during this difficult time,” the US embassy spokesperson said while stressing the US had a long history of cooperation and cross-training with the Sri Lankan military, a partnership which supports shared commitment to a secure, stable and democratic Sri Lanka.
A Sri Lankan Navy crew consisting of more than one hundred Navy sailors under a Commanding Officer is currently stationed in Hawaii and engaged in training alongside with their US counterparts while the former US Coast Guard Cutter vessel was undergoing refit.
In 2018, during a similar joint exercise in the US, a sailor from Sri Lankan Navy crew was reported missing and law enforcement authorities were alerted at that time but his whereabouts are still unknown.
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