Illegal migrants use children in new ploy to enter Australia

A new ruse by Sri Lankans who attempt to enter Australia by boat illegally has been unearthed by authorities as they detected a boat of illegal immigrants – almost half of them children.

The latest batch of 97 illegal immigrants was detected off Sangamankanda, in Oluvil in the Ampara district.

Instead of attempts to travel individually they had decided to migrate with their families, including children, in a bid to gain sympathy when they arrive in Australia.

“Our agents told us that if we travel with our families we had a better chance of getting entry. We were told that if we were with the family we would be held in the same camp,” said one detainee, who comes from Puttalam.

The illegal immigrants were from Puttalam, Mannar, Kalawanchikudy, Valaichchenai and Tirukkovil.

They had been told to assemble at various points and were put up in temporary sheds close to the beach in Aliadivembu before being transported to Oluvil where they were loaded onto a small boat. A large trawler named ‘ Sumudhu Putha’ was waiting for them in mid-ocean.

After boarding the vessel, the Navy had taken 39 males, 18 females and 40 children into custody. They had been handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

Investigations revealed that the would- be immigrants had been told to make arrangements to pay Rs. 800,000 each on arrival in Australia.

The illegal immigrants were produced before the Akkaraipattu Acting Magistrate, J. H. Sameen. Forty of them were remanded until April 5 and 20 others were released on bail while all children under 16 were released.

Nearly 1,000 Sri Lankan asylum seekers have returned voluntarily from Australia during the past six months after being informed by the Australian government that irregular maritime arrivals would be liable for transfer to remote processing facilities in Nauru and Papua New Guinea.

Last year, some 6,360 Sri Lankans were among 16,770 asylum seekers who travelled to Australia.