The following press release is therefore issued by the Ministry in charge of the subject of Immigration and Emigration.

A group of 55 Rohingyas fleeing from Myanmar was rescued in mid sea by Sri Lankan Navy on March 03,2008 and handed over to the UNHRC. All these refugees have left Sri Lanka in July 2012.

In February 2013 Sri Lanka Navy had once again rescued refugees in the mid sea travelling by two boats one boat carrying 138 and the other with 32 refugees altogether totaling 170 persons who were handed over to UNHRC. They too left the island in November 2015.

Thereafter on April 30th 2017 the Navy has rescued near Sri Lanka as they did previously and brought ashore 30 Rohingyas including 17 children 07 women and a pregnant woman faced with danger to life in a boat in peril at sea. They were handed over to the UNHRC as was done previously after completing the court proceedings.

In dealing with this matter related to refugees the government has acted within the approved legal framework and never deviated from the prescribed procedures and will act under the previously approved procedures in the future too.