During the raid, two three-wheelers, a cab, and a van were seized, which were used for the purpose of a migration attempt….reports Asian Lite News
The Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) has thwarted an illegal migration attempt by making an arrest of 67 individuals during a special operation conducted in the Sallisampaltivu and Trincomalee sea on Monday night.
A group of naval personnel from the Naval Dockyard with the help of the Nilaveli Police arrested 12 male suspects from the age range of 30 to 40 years, reported Colombo Page. The arrested individuals were suspected to be on an illegal migration attempt through sea routes.
During the raid, two three-wheelers, a cab, and a van were seized, which were used for the purpose of a migration attempt. In the special search operation, the Sri Lankan Navy spotted a suspicious local multiday fishing trawler.
While intercepting the fish vessel, the navy managed to apprehend another 55 individuals, belonging to the age range of 3-53 years of age who were believed to be on an illegal migration attempt to a foreign country via the Trincomalee sea, reported Colombo Page.
Meanwhile, arrangements are being made to hand over the arrested individuals to the Nilaveli and Uppuweli Police for further legal proceedings. The Sri Lankan Navy has urged the public to refrain from risking their lives by embarking on perilous sea voyages.
Wickremesinghe new finance minister
Sri Lanka Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has been sworn in as new Minister of Finance, Economic Stability and National Policies on Wednesday morning.
Wickremesinghe has taken an oath before President Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the President’s House in Colombo, reported Colombo Page as cited by the President’s Media Division. Gamini Senarath, the secretary to the President also attended the oath-taking event.
Ranil Wickremesinghe was appointed the Sri Lankan Prime Minister for a record sixth term. He accepted the post of Prime Minister after securing the support of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MPs. The Sri Lankan PM has given his assurance to the people of Sri Lanka that he will ensure the supply of petrol, diesel, and electricity to the island country.
Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis since independence with food and fuel shortages, soaring prices and power cuts affecting a large number of the citizens, resulting in massive protests over the government’s handling of the situation. The recession is attributed to foreign exchange shortages caused by a fall in tourism during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as reckless economic policies.
Due to an acute shortage of foreign exchange, Sri Lanka recently defaulted on the entirety of its foreign debt amounting to about USD 51 billion.
The economic situation led to huge protests with demands for the resignation of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, with the former finally succumbing to public pressure and resigning on Monday, soon after the protests outside the Prime Minister’s residence turned violent. (ANI)
