Navy arrests Ex-LTTE cadre & several others for attempting to enter Sri Lanka illegally

A patrol vessel from the Northern Naval Command of the Sri Lanka Navy had detected a suspicious dinghy boat 11 nautical miles away from Thondamaru North in Jaffna and had taken measures to detain its occupants, Sri Lanka Navy said.

Investigations revealed two of the men had attempted to enter Sri Lanka illegally and the other two were identified as the operators of the boat who had set out to sea from Point Pedro on the 10th of July.

Sri Lankan Navy said the boat had cross into Indian territorial waters and boarded the two men to return to Sri Lanka and the two men are reportedly Sri Lankans who were living Welweithurai and Mullathivu and later fled to India.

One of the men was identified as an Ex-LTTE combatant while the other is suspected to have maintained links with the former terror group.

Further, one of the two men was escorted to the Jaffna Hospital under police protection as he developed a respiratory difficulty and will be subject to a PCR test to determine if he had contracted the corona-virus.

The other three men will also be subject to PCR tests and for now they have been placed in an isolated area under strict health guidelines.

Sri Lanka Navy said it disinfected the men and the dinghy boat before bringing them to Sri Lankan shores and stressed all necessary health precautions were followed as mentioned by the Health Officials.