Sri Lanka and Australia sign MOU enabling closer cooperation on counter people smuggling

September 8, 2017

 

Sri Lanka and Australia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 6rth September enabling even closer cooperation between the two countries on counter-people smuggling. The MOU was signed at a ceremony in Canberra by Department of Immigration and Border Protection Secretary Michael Pezzullo and Sri Lankan Secretary for Defence Kapila Waidyaratne, on the sidelines of the Joint Working Group on People Smuggling and Other Transnational Crimes.

The agreement will facilitate the return to Sri Lanka of people who are involved in people smuggling activities. It also paves the way for enhanced information sharing on methods for tracking, intercepting and investigating people smugglers. The agreement will also see further cooperation between the two nations on countering human trafficking, stopping the movement of illicit goods and targeting money laundering and proceeds of crime. Training and cooperation in Australia and Sri Lanka will give officers from both agencies the opportunity to strengthen their skills across these areas and foster closer working relationships.

Australia and Sri Lanka have a long history of successful cooperation on people smuggling and a range of other transnational crimes.