COLOMBO - The Sri Lankan navy has arrested 32 people thought to be Rohingya refugees and their Indian traffickers from a boat encountered off the island nation's northern coast.
Navy spokesman Chaminda Walakuluge said on Monday that a coast guard patrol observed the boat entering Sri Lankan waters on Sunday.
The 30 passengers from Myanmar included 16 children, including an infant just 15 days old and a 4-month-old baby. The two Indians were suspected to be their traffickers.
Walakuluge said that the suspects were handed over to police for further inquiries.
He said they told the navy that they arrived in India four years ago as refugees.
It is unclear why they left India or if they intended travelling elsewhere from Sri Lanka.
