July 30, Negombo: The continuing vigilance by Sri Lanka Navy has not deterred those who trying their luck to take the perilous sea journey to Australia illegally.

Sri Lanka Navy thwarted yet another attempt by illegal migrants to sail to Australia when the naval personnel intercepted two fishing trawlers in the seas off the country's western coast and another one off the Eastern coast and arrested the 103 occupants onboard the trawlers.

Naval personnel intercepted two boats with 25 and 44 persons onboard off the coast of Negombo and another one with 34 people was intercepted off Trincomalee.

All the arrested were males and residents of Jaffna, Vavuniya, Mullaitivu, Kalmunai, Nawalapitiya, Trincomalee, Chilaw, Negombo, Panadura, Kurunegala and Mannar, the Navy said.

They people arrested from Negombo have been brought to Modara fisheries harbor and the 34 arrested from the East have been brought to the Trincomalee Fisheries Harbor to be handed over to CID for further investigations.

The Sri Lankan Navy with today's arrest has taken 633 people into custody this month alone.

Also, the Navy with the help of a French tanker yesterday rescued 28 people including four women and a child who were drifting in high seas at 300 nautical miles off Valachennai for 11 days.

The Navy has increased vigilance around the country's coasts to prevent human smuggling but the exercise has not been effective in preventing the rising attempts by would-be asylum seekers.

The Navy urges the public not to fall for "traps laid by the unscrupulous human smugglers, who amass vast sums of money on false promises of lucrative employment opportunities and financial gains overseas."