SL Navy arrests Tamils fleeing to Tamil Nadu, Indian trawler seized

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 August 2006, 13:08 GMT]
Sri Lanka Navy Saturday night arrested about 85 Tamil civilians including men, women and children fleeing in an Indian fishing trawler to seek refuge in Tamilnadu in India. The SLN sailors seized the Indian trawler with its three member crew all are Indian nationals in mid sea from the coast of Mannar.

Indian trawler is now kept in the custody of the SLN camped in Talaimannar. Civilians taken into custody were handed over to Talaimannar Police Sunday morning around 8 p.m. Talaimannar Police is expected to produce these civilians, most of them are residents of Pesalai in Mannar courts later in the day. Three- member crew was also handed over to Talaimannar Police.

Meanwhile Mannar Police arrested a group of fifteen Tamil families travelling in a bus at the entrance to Mannar town Friday. These families who are residents of Trincomalee were on their way to Mannar with the intention of seeking refuge in Tamilnadu. These Tamils have been given shelter in a church.

Following the outbreak of fresh fight between Sri Lankan troops and LTTE in the North East and the indiscriminate aerial bombardment and artillery fire by government troops on Tamil civilians, large number of Tamil people residing in coastal areas were trying to flee through Mannar to Tamilnadu.