<b>Sri Lanka becomes hub of human smuggling</b>

T.Sabaratnam

Colombo July 20 (News Feature) Forty-one Pakistani detainees. held in Negombo prison, began a fast unto
death this morning, demanding that they be sent back to their country.

They are held in Negombo prison since last week of May, when they were arrested by the police along with a group of Sri Lankans, when they were about to set sail to Italy, in a Sri Lankan fishing boat.

Pakistanis are among the 180 detainees held for attempting to leave Sri Lanka to a foreign country without visa. Under Sri Lankan law, it is an un-billable offence.

Pakistani-fast, has brought into sharp focus, a growing “human smuggling Trade,” a lucrative business, is causing worry to Sri Lankan Interior Ministry dealing with internal security situation.

“Though human smuggling does not cause any serious internal security problem, it damages Sri Lanka’s image and reputation,” Interior Minister John Amaratunga told a group of European envoys in Colombo, whom he met on July 3.

Human smuggling using multi-day fishing boats is a recent development.

Earlier, Sri Lankans were taken by air, with valid or forged tourist visa to Russia or Eastern Europe and then smuggled across the borders, into West Europe.

After that became difficult, sea-route emerged as the alternative.

The use of large fishing boats - trawlers, with capacity to carry 30 to 50 persons, started about five years ago, with Australia and Italy being the popular destinations.

With the tightening of the coastal surveillance and the deportation of illegal immigrants by Australia, Italy had become the preferred destination.

Western Australian District Court on Friday found four Sri Lankans guilty of trying to smuggle 65 asylum seekers into Australia, September last year. The four men who were from the western coast of Sri Lanka and each were sentence to 20 years imprisonment. They charged from their passengers, all Sri Lankans, according to reports, 3500 US dollars each.

“Since then, the human smuggling trade had grown into a regional endeavor,” Interior Ministry officials said. Among the 16 men nabbed on the southern coast, traveling by a fishing boat, to a bigger vessel, anchored in the international waters and it was said that the two of those vessels were from Bangladesh.

Senior Police Detective S. Y. Samaratunga said that they have unearthed evidence to show a link among Sri Lankan, Pakistani and Bangaladeshi human-smuggling gangs. “We suspect of links with Afghanistan smugglers also,” he said.

HE WILL TRY AGAIN

The government has decided to step up its coastal surveillance. Sri Lanka lacks Coastal Guard. The task is given to the police and the navy. Western envoys have told Interior Minister Amaratunga that, they would assist in the government’s program to curb human smuggling.

Samaratunga said that the Criminal Investigation Department had identified about 60 persons, as kingpins and agents involved in this money-spinning trade. The current charge is US$ 3000 per person, half the sum to be paid in advance and the balance on reaching the destination. One hundred to 200 persons are cramped into un-seaworthy, rickety trawlers. It takes 20-30 days depending on the whether and the sea-route they travel through via Suez Canal or around Africa.

“It’s an awful journey. We were given two meals a day- usually rice, dhal and canned fish. Water is rationed. One of my companions died and his body was thrown into the sea,” said Nishantha Fernando of Chilaw, a deportee from Italy.

Nishantha said he was caught by an Italian civilian, who handed him to the police. His companions were successful. He said that it was his bad time that, made him ask for direction from the civilian. He was confused when he reached a junction. He would try his luck again, he said. How else he could repay the loan he had raised to go on the first time.

Samaratunga said that 740 illegal immigrants have been deported in recent times.

According to Samaratunga, Italy sent back the highest number 338 persons. Australia sent back 63, Germany 34, Malaysia 41, Singapore 30, Thailand 24, Middle East 32, and UK 25.

The arrest and detention of the persons trying to depart and the deportation by the countries they had entered, had failed to dampen the desire to go and earn quick money.

“Silva’s son has sent one million rupees and had asked him to build a new house shaped like a ship. He had promised to send the balance. Can he dream of it if he had been here,” Alice told my wife. She is looking for a good agent to pay the advance for her son’s journey.