33 arrested while trying to sail to New Zealand

In a joint operation conducted by the Sri Lanka Navy and Arachchikattuwa police, 33 persons who were attempting to travel illegally to New Zealand on a multi-day fishing trawler were taken into custody. The group was taken into custody near Muthupanthiya in Chilaw on November 30 and handed over to police.

The arrested persons are residents of Udappuwa, Jaffna and Mannar and are between the ages of 25 to 50, police said. 

They had set-off for New Zealand on a multi-day fishing trawler two days before but the journey had been delayed due to rough seas. The vessel had arousd the suspicions of patrolling naval craft and they had moved into inspect the trawler. 

At this point, those steering the trawler had taken the vessel close to shore where a group of persons who were on board had jumped into the sea and tried to escape by swimming to shore. Eight of these were taken into custody while three others had escaped, police said. 

Police said the boat the group was trying to sail to New Zealand in was in an extremely dilapidated condition.

Text and Pix by Hiran Priyankara Jayasinghe in Anamaduwa

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