Four members of the Sri Lankan Navy have been arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle more than 100 asylum seekers to Australia, the Age reported today.
Navy spokesman Commander Kosala Warnakulasuriya has confirmed that police are investigating the role of three sailors and one ”civilian attached to the navy” in organising the boat voyage of a group of asylum seekers who were arrested last week trying to leave Sri Lanka for Australia.
Secretary to the Defence, Chief of Defence Staff and Commander of the Navy
The three sailors are understood to be members of the navy’s signal branch. A van belonging to the suspects was reportedly seized, too, along with bank receipts for 1 million rupees ($8000).
The sailors have been taken into custody pending charges of assisting illegal emigration.
The 111 asylum seekers – 46 men, 20 women and 45 children – were arrested on board the fishing trawler Rwan Putha in seas off Galle, on Sri Lanka’s southern coast, last week.
In March, Fairfax Media exclusively reported that navy sailors and officers were widely believed to be complicit in, and profiting from, people-smuggling rings.
Prominent Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP Suresh Premachandran said: ”I believe some navy personnel are involved in this smuggling.”
Fellow TNA MP and leading Sri Lankan lawyer, M. A. Sumanthiran, said the navy’s involvement was common knowledge across the country.
”There is no doubt there is a level of naval complicity in the people smuggling,” he said.
”It is quite clear that some people are given the chance to go through, and we have even heard of stories where the navy has escorted boats out of Sri Lanka’s territorial waters.”
The allegations of naval complicity were raised directly with Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr when he visited Sri Lanka in December.
tania / August 20, 2013
Api wenuwen thopi.
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janaka / August 20, 2013
The Navy and Armed forces have cut down ALL the valuable old timber trees in Colombo.
Victoria park that had valuable ancient trees, many planted by British colonial botanists, has been stripped and replanted with Namal trees!
Those trees were cut down because of their timber value by the Navy which is in charge of the Park and has a TREE CUTTING UNIT in Victoria Park that is Funded by the World Bank loans to the Urban Development Authority (UDA)…
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James Bond / August 20, 2013
Military Business is the name of the game!
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Native Vedda / August 20, 2013
James Bond
Who is the Commander in chief?
Who does run the Ministry of Defense?
Who has the finance to invest in such a risky business?
Who does have a officer son in the navy?
Who has a political brat in the Southern parts of this island?
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Dan Seneviratne / August 20, 2013
There is no other ways than punishing the perpetrators FOLLOWING THE COUNTRY^s laws whatever the crimes they have committed. In that way only, the leaders can win the hearts and minds of the citizenry by providing them with the assurance about the law and order prevailing future. Unfortunately for us, significant masses seem to stay blind – when the top leadership would deafen all these grave issues.
Today, Ranil Wickremasinghe is seen to be respecting law and order while the ruling does not. But paradoxically, masses (majority – villagers) still seem to be supporting Rajapaskes irrespective his total ignorance against re enforcement of law and order..
The situation today to everyone^s eyes is – LAWLESSNESS is governing.
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Benjamin / August 20, 2013
Super exposure CT – you are The best -:)
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But the worst is the illegal destruction of our Flora & fauna being raped unquestionably & the robbing of the treasures ..
I sincerely hope you will expose such culprits, I request all The Sinhalese Buddhists, while you point your finger towards The Muslim community , knock on the doors from the inside of our hearts & see the ratio of criminals & what kind of crimes your communities commit.
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Thiru / August 20, 2013
These are scape goats. The real culprits are the MARA clan, especially, Namal and Gotha.
Arrests will satisfy the Aussies, Sharmas and the like.
The lucrative armed forces aided business will go on
with occasional arrests here and there.
Smart Alecs!
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Benjamin / August 20, 2013
Thambi thopiya ape hissay.. kela kela dai.
Moor’s cap is now sitting on our heads, well what goes around comes around ,HUH!!!
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JULAMPITIYE AMARAYA / August 20, 2013
Navy spokesman Commander Kosala Warnakulasuriya has confirmed that police are investigating the role of three sailors and
one ”civilian attached to the navy.
But Who is this Civilian ?????????.
Any body attached to a V V I Ps OfFice or clan?????????.
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Rev.Devil / August 20, 2013
It’s public secret someone execute the plans of Gota .
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M.SIVANANTHAN / August 20, 2013
Who are the people wanted to go to Australia by giving so much money? Tamil, Muslim or Sinhalese?
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JULAMPITIYE AMARAYA / August 20, 2013
not condoms of Looting Governance like you,
But some who wants to safe guard their lives from white van goons of HOTHAMBAYA.
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Rohan / August 21, 2013
Why does Hon Sivananthan still lives outside Sri Lanka, if Sri Lanka is the best place to live?
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mike / August 20, 2013
Strange! Why not arrest the real culprits, playboy NAMAL, GOTABAYA and our spy in Sydney ‘BIJAY’ Jayasekera instead of ‘arresting’ scapegoats??
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Lapatiya / August 20, 2013
This can’t be true, because Our Ranaviru Forces are well disciplined, No. 1 forces in the world. We have a record that we defeated world no.1 terrorists with “0” civilian causality according our Sri Rohana Manaranjana.
This may be a part of an International conspiracy to tarnish the good image of our brave Ranaviru forces and powerful western nations and Tamil Diaspora may also be behind this conspiracy.
Actually all these western nations and other countries are jealous with our Ranaviruwo because they showed their braveness in defeating “Katunayaka Terrorist’s” , “Halawatha Terrorist’s” and “Waliweriya water Terrorist’s” after liberating North with “Manushiya Maheuma”
This also will be another drama like DIG Vaas Gunawardana, Kangatta and as usual nothing will happened as everybody knows who are the powerful people behind the scene.
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Pasel / August 20, 2013
When Namal name came out now these poor service men framed to the big fish to escape
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Native Vedda / August 20, 2013
Pasel
“When Namal name came out now these poor service men framed to the big fish to escape”
Wait until after the Commonwealth conference is over. It is too early to free the service men.
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Wyatt K / August 20, 2013
This is a bad story. The government being involved in smuggling shows that there is some level of corruption going on here. I hope Sumanthiran is able to get the rule of law applied here to those involved.
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RajasH / August 20, 2013
How can people get on these trawlers and then get on to the sea, which is patrolled by the navy day and night. Obviously this is an insider job and the whole world knew Sri Lankan Nave is is involved in this human trafficking with the help of some SLFP Politicians in the North and some big politicos in the south
This will now raise the question How can prominent politicians like Kaidrgamar, Fernandopulle, Premadasa all get assainated in high security zone
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Fair N Square / August 21, 2013
IT IS NOT ROCKET SCIENCE….. everyone knows who is involved using and abusing all three forces… How did the Rajapaksa clan accumulate so much of money to be buying PRIME properties in the capital and elsewhere? Where is all that GOLD that were confiscated in the North, by the ARMY ? How is it that ONLY BOATS belonging to ” people with connections” ESCAPE and end up in Australian Waters? while the others are ” CAUGHT” by the NAVY ?
YOU MAY FOOL SOME PEOPLE SOMETIME, SOME PEOPLE ALL THE TIME, NOT ALL THE PEOPLE ALL THE TIME…. Payback is a bitch… and it gets you by the ass….
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Peter Casie Chetty / August 21, 2013
No charges have yet been made Colombo Telegraph. If and when they are publish their names if you dare. The Age is not the Bible and the Bible is full of lies.
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Peace Lover / August 21, 2013
ah Peter aiya singing for the culprits hahahaahahahhahahaahaaha
in the same manner peter aiya Daily News too publishes nonsense and you keep mum on it why is that?
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Safa / August 21, 2013
Another Humanitarian Operation by our patriotic armed forces. Shades of Nandikadal. Between the devil and the deep blue sea.
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Nihal / August 21, 2013
Remember the recent arrest of some people connected with the sale of gold? There were big names in it including the wife of an ex SL cricketer. The media made a big show of it and everybody started talking about it. Then what happened? When the real culprits’ names surfaced in the investigations, that was the end of it. This people smuggling investigation will end up just like that. No investigation or court locally could find the real culprits and name and shame them. It is a case of NADUTH HAMUDURUWANGE, BADUTH HAMUDURUWANGE. So it is only the world outside that can expose these so called patriots!
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JULAMPITIYE AMARAYA / August 21, 2013
Do not do False Implication on Us,
We, the Ruhunu Heroes will never, ever engage on this type of low grade businesses like human smugglings.
We are Doing the respectable Heroin Kudu Business and Brothel business only.
If you like to have a test ride,
come and have a visit.
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puka bunda / August 22, 2013
It is very strange that those living in Colombo did not know these facts. The office was operating from the hotel(Holiday Inn)in Galle Face. The idea is that of the three rogue brother to send all tamils away, never mind whether they drown on the way, but get rid of them so they dont ask for their basic rights. Puka
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pb / August 22, 2013
Peter – you are a [Edited out]. Dont you get the Bible in to this.
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kk / August 23, 2013
Who cares one or two sailors do a wrong thing, is this big deal , all this LTTE rump and opposition beggars try to show this to the world as big thing
Can this beggars show us any country in the world their serviceman not get punished on various crimes , how many US soldiers in jail for what they done in Iraq , how many soldiers in jailed for rape cases
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