The Hindu : Crackdown on illegal migrants in Sri Lanka

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jul 25, 2003

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International

Crackdown on illegal migrants in Sri Lanka

By V.S. Sambandan

COLOMBO JULY 24. In the continuing crackdown on "illegal immigrants seeking employment in Europe", the Sri Lankan police today arrested 174 foreigners, including 85 Indians, allegedly "waiting to leave for Greece and Italy for employment", from a Colombo suburb.

Of these, 26 persons, including 20 Indians, were to be remanded on charges of not holding valid travel documents. All others were released this evening.

With today's arrests, the total number of foreigners arrested during July has gone up to 661, of which 254 are reportedly Pakistanis. However, most of them were released as police did not have a case against them. Moreover, the alleged middlemen involved in this " international network" have not yet been arrested.

The 174 foreigners were nabbed in a pre-dawn swoop at five locations in the Mount Lavinia suburb between 4.30 a.m. and 6.00 a.m., based on information that "they were waiting" to be transported by sea "to Europe as illegal migrants", a police officer told The Hindu. However, as they were caught before embarking on the voyage, they could not be charged for illegal emigration, police said. Two Sri Lankans were also arrested. The arrested include 75 Pakistanis, 84 Indians, and 4 Bangladeshis, police said.

"This has been on for some time now," police said, pointing out that such "illegal migrants" took advantage of the visa-on-arrival facility extended by Sri Lanka to citizens of SAARC countries.

"This is an international network," the police officer said adding that "a Sri Lankan, an Indian and a Pakistani are involved in this". The Indian authorities would be contacted to take action against the suspected Indian, allegedly "from western India", he said.

The modus operandi of the "international network", according to police, is "to place advertisements in newspapers, offering employment in Europe", followed by "interviews" during which the applicants "are brainwashed" and "convinced" that they are headed for greener pastures. Then follows a "fee", reportedly in the range of "Rs. one lakh". The applicants are then allegedly brought into Sri Lanka in batches through the visa-on-arrival mode and then asked to "wait for the boat".

It was during one such wait that the Mount Lavinia police nabbed one of the arrested, who gave his name as "Ismail'' and claimed to hail "from western India", this morning. Sitting on the steps of the police station, waiting to be remanded before the Magistrate, Ismail says: "I am a tourist". And without batting an eyelid, he adds: "I lost all my travel documents".

Officials say that the trafficking of illegal migrants has been on for the past 18 months. "The seas around India are more secure, so they think this is an easier route out," an official said.

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