19 Lankans go to jail instead of Italy
By Sinniah Gurunathan
Nineteen people from the Negombo area who were arrested for allegedly attempting to leave off the Mudcove Jetty in a trawler for Italy were remanded till August 28 by the Trincomalee Magistrate .
The group was from Negombo, Wennapuwa, Kandana and Wattala and were arrested on July 14.
A police party led by Trincomalee Inspector Nishantha Dassanayake made the arrest when the suspects were in the vessel with dry rations enough for a month, police said.
The men in the boat claimed that they were fishermen. Except for the crew the others were attempting to migrate illegally to Italy and other countries in search of greener pastures.
According to the police each person had paid one hundred thousand rupees in advance and the balance was to be paid after arrival at the destination.
Inspector Dassanayake told The Sunday Times that the trawler had been anchored in the jetty since July and though it was reported the trawler was under repairs the police suspected its movement and put the vessel under police surveillance.
Copyright © 2001 Wijeya Newspapers Ltd. All rights reserved.
Webmaster Editorial