COLOMBO(News 1st)- The Department of Fisheries states, there is an increase in the number of Sri Lankans trying to illegally migrate to French Reunion Island, disguised as fishermen.

The Department’s Operations Director Kalyani Hewapathirana said since August of last year, 73 Sri Lankans had fled to Reunion Island. She added that five of them were repatriated, and steps are being taken to bring back the rest.

According to Kalyani Hewapathirana, these illegal immigrants were helped by a gang of human traffickers into Reunion Island. She concluded with “several agencies including Navy Intelligence, the Criminal Investigations Department are conducting investigations further into the matter”