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Colombo Sri Lanka's navy Tuesday detained 90 people illegally travelling in a trawler bound for the French territory of Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean, a spokesman said. Commander Dinesh Bandara said the fishing boat was seized off Sri Lanka's west coast and was being escorted to Colombo with 89 men and a woman on board."Preliminary investigations suggest that the boat was heading to Reunion Island," Bandara told AFP."From there, they may have planned to move to another destination." Sri Lankans are known to pay thousands of dollars to people smugglers to arrange highly risky boat rides to Europe, Australia or New Zealand in search of better economic prospects. (AFP)
