Navy arrests 78 illegal migrants bound for Australia

The Sri Lanka Navy early on Friday intercepted and arrested 78 illegal migrants bound for Australia in the seas off the southern coast.

A naval patrol craft has intercepted a fishing vessel with the 78 people onboard in the seas 65 miles off Kirinda in the deep south early this morning at around 12.30 a.m., the Navy said. According to the Navy Media Spokesperson Commander Indika Silva, out of the 78 arrested, 17 were Sinhalese while 59 were Tamils.

The arrested migrants have been brought to the Galle Harbour and handed over to Galle police for further investigations.