July 06, Wakarai: Sri Lanka Police have arrested 41 people including women and children on suspicion of attempting to migrate illegally by boat to Australia yesterday evening at Wakarai in the East, the police said Friday.

The police arrested the group at Mankeni of Wakarai, a coastal town in the Eastern province while they were waiting for departure.

Two boats, filled with food and water were also seized by the police.

All suspects, most of them are Tamils, are to be produced before the Valaichchenai Magistrate Court today.

There has been a sudden rise in illegal migration attempts by Sri Lankans to migrate illegally to Australia by boat.

Sri Lankan authorities earlier last month arrested 80 people including some foreign nationals who were allegedly attempting to migrate to Australia. In May, Colombo Fraud Bureau of Sri Lanka Police arrested 119 persons including seven traffickers who were attempting to illegally sail to Australia in a fishing trawler.