India-bound refugees detained

[TamilNet, Friday, 22 September 2006, 17:36 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) detained three boats with 40 Tamil civilians, including women and children, in Mannar sea, while fleeing to Tamilnadu in South India, Thursday evening. Navy fired warning shots to stop the boats when the boatmen failed to obey the orders of the SLN patrol craft.

SLN authorities handed these civilians and 4 boatmen to Talaimannar Police, Thursday night. The police produced in Mannar court, Friday morning, legal sources said.

The detained civilians are residents of Trincomalee, Vavuniya and Mannar. The boatmen are residents of Talaimannar, the sources said.

Mannar additional magistrate Mr.T.J.Pirapaharan ordered remand for the four boatmen till September 25. He released the civilians to the civil officials.

The boats in the custody of the Sri Lanka Navy.

Boatmen are likely to be charged for transporting civilians to India illegally, the sources said.