Oct 11, Chilaw: Sri Lanka Navy Thursday has arrested 112 illegal migrants bound for Australia from the north western shores.

A Fast Naval Patrol Craft attached to the Western Naval Command intercepted a multi-day fishing trawler carrying the 112 people in the sea off Chilaw.

According to the Navy, among the arrested were 91 Tamils, 14 Sinhalese and 7 Muslims. The group, which included 103 men, a woman and 8 children, are residents of Jaffna, Vavuniya, Kilinochchi, Chilaw, Batticaloa, Puttalam, Trincomalee, Negombo, Mannar and Mullaitivu.

They have been escorted to Modara Fishery Harbor to be handed over to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) for further investigations.

Despite the perilous voyage and the prospects of getting detained in an Australian asylum center, over 2,500 Sri Lankans this year had taken the step to illegally migrate to Australia.