CID to probe asylum seekers

A group of 111 illegal asylum seekers who were arrested at sea over the weekend and brought ashore last night, were handed over to the CID for further investigations, the navy media unit said.
The Navy brought all the Australia-bound asylum seekers to Galle after they were arrested off the southern seas.
The boat they were travelling in was intercepted by Sri Lanka Navy’s Offshore Patrol Vessel, SLNS Samudura with the assistance of two fast naval patrol craft attached to the Southern Naval Command 220 Kilometers south of Galle.
Among the 111 asylum seekers are 03 Sinhalese and 108 Tamils and that included 46 men, 20 women and 45 children.
They are residents of Batticaloa, Trincomalee, Vavuniya, Puttalam, Jaffna and Mullaithivu. They were brought to Galle harbour today to be handed over to the CID for further investigations, the navy media unit said. (Colombo Gazette)