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Australia and Sri Lanka formalized cooperation here on Monday to combat illegal immigration that has seen nearly 3 000 local arrests this year by returning boat people within 72 hours, officials said.
Australian Foreign Minister Robert Carr, who arrived in Sri Lanka on Friday, holding a joint press conference with his counterpart Prof. G.L. Peiris insisted that tough policies would be put in place to combat people smugglers.
He insisted that under a new policy by the Australian government, illegal immigrants will be returned to Sri Lanka within 72 hours.
"Let me make it very clear. Australia is going to be returning people who enter its waters through the people smugglers; we are going to be returning them to Sri Lanka and doing so within 72 hours. I give this warning to anyone in Sri Lanka who might be tempted to give a big sum of money to a people smuggler," he said.
Carr noted that most of the arrivals are economic refugees.
A separate statement released by the embassy noted that a range of new services will be provided by Australia including surveillance, strengthening the Sri Lankan navy though training and direct supply of search and rescue equipment.
The Australian government is also giving 45 million U.S. dollars over five years to build or rebuild poor and rural communities - reducing poverty and helping cut demand for economic migration.
Cooperation between the two countries has resulted in 65 smuggling ventures involving 2,900 people disrupted this year.
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