SriLanka intercepts 61 Australia-bound asylum seekers

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SriLanka intercepts 61 Australia-bound asylum seekers

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Sri Lanka's navy Monday arrested 61 would-be asylum seekers heading to Australia.

16 July,2012 07:44 pm

It seized their fishing trawler, police and naval officials said, in the third incident of its kind in just two days.The navy intercepted the latest vessel carrying illegal immigrants off the islands eastern coast and were escorting the boat to the naval port of Trincomalee, 260 kilometres (160 miles) northeast of the capital Colombo.This boat had 61 men heading for Australia, a navy official said asking not to be named.The latest detection came a day after 131 people were arrested in two separate incidents of trying to leave the island illegally, police said.The number of Sri Lankans detained on charges of illegally trying to leave the country has reached more than 315 over the last week.Rickety vessels have been known to sink as illegal immigrants head to Australia from various poverty-hit countries, including Sri Lanka.Some 94 people are believed to have drowned after two boats sank in recent weeks.Australia is facing a steady influx of asylum-seekers arriving by boat, many of whom use Indonesia as a transit hub, boarding leaky wooden vessels there after fleeing their homes countries.While most boats originate in Indonesia, there has been a recent spike in attempted crossings from Sri Lanka.Australia wants to deter boat people by transferring them to Malaysia for processing, in exchange for accepting thousands of Malaysias registered refugees for resettlement.But the minority government has been unable to pass the necessary legislation because of opposition in the Australian parliament.