No room for COVID-19 refugees to trespass in to SL– Navy Commander
April 10, 2020Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) said it had strengthened its surveillance in country's territorial waters and also along the coastal belt to prevent people, who are fleeing from neighboring countries, including India, due to fear of COVID-19, to enter into Sri Lanka.
SLN Commander Vice Admiral Piyal De Silva said there was no space for any such people to flee to Sri Lanka as the naval surveillance and monitoring had been increased by many folds to thwart such attempts.
“According to joint surveillance operations carried out with the Sri Lanka Air Force, a special attention will be drawn to the seas off Northern, Eastern, Western, North-Eastern and North-Western areas around the island”, he said.
Vice Admiral De Silva also stated that SLN had requested the support of the Indian authorities to thwart such attempts.
“If such attempts are noticed at sea, they would be returned back to their original destinations safely”, he said.
Navy Commander also requested from regional fishing committees operating in those provinces to be extra vigilant on refugee boats trespassing into Sri Lankan waters and to inform such attempts to the SLN and other relevant authorities immediately.