Fears raised over 248 Sri Lankans “missing” while heading to New Zealand

Fears have been raised over the fate of 248 Sri Lankans who went “missing” while heading to New Zealand in 2019.

According to TVNZ, a New Zealand Government log of attempts by asylum seekers to reach New Zealand shows a fishing trawler and its 248 Sri Lankan passengers have never been seen again.

The log states that on 12 January 2019 “a [27-metre-long] fishing trawler-turned-sailboat left Maliankara near Munambam, India, with 248 Tamil migrants onboard hoping to make it to Australia or NZ. The boat or the passengers have not been heard of since”.

Police in India said an individual arrested in connection with the investigation, Prabhu Dhandapani, told them the boat was heading to New Zealand.

The list of publicly available mass arrival attempts shows the 2019 Tamil journey from Kerela as an attempt to get to Australia or New Zealand and its outcome – “disappeared”.

It also records an October 2021 event in which 63 men were arrested in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, for “allegedly intending to join a maritime venture to New Zealand”.

In 2019, $25 million was allocated over four years on prevention measures, including the expansion of New Zealand’s network of Migration Liaison Officers offshore.

On the missing 2019 boat attempt,?a blog To The Antipodes, On A Boat Without GPS?by The Times of India after the boat carrying 248 people left India said the passengers were Sri Lankan Tamil refugees housed in Madangir Colony in New Delhi.

“The colony was a result of the India-Sri Lanka accord in the 1980s, and these refugees were largely living in abject conditions,” police told author KP Saikiran.

They avoided using GPS, fearing their movements would be tracked by security agencies, in a journey expected to take about 25 days.

“The boat must have either sunk in rough seas, or it could have been captured by Sri Lankan authorities, which also would have been fatal to those on the boat,” he concluded.

“In all probability, either way, they would have lost their lives,” said police sources.

Blue Corner notices were sent to both Australia and New Zealand through Interpol for all the 248 passengers, but no favourable information has been received. (TVNZ / Australia)