Sri Lanka Navy intercepted a multi-day fishing trawler bound for Australia in the seas off Arugambay. The trawler, manned by 04-member Sinhalese crew, had 47 Sri Lankan Tamils and 02 Indian nationals onboard, who had intended to enter Australia illegally.
The overloaded trawler was found by SLN’s Offshore Patrol Vessel Samudura whilst in perilous choppy seas with a large stock of food items and personnel belongings of the passengers stacked inside. The arrested persons were handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department on 12th June 2012 for further investigations.