Australian Joint Agency Task Force delegation meets SL Coast Guard DG
September 05, 2022An Australian Joint Agency Task Force (AJATF) delegation led by Rear Admiral Justin Jones met the Director General Sri Lanka Coast Guard (DG SLCG) Rear Admiral Anura Ekanayake at the Coast Guard Headquarters in Mirissa recently (31 Aug).
According to SLCG media, the three member delegation included officers from the Australian Joint Agency Task Force, Ms. Lucienne Manton the Ambassador for counter People Smuggling and Human Trafficking and Ms. Claudine Lamond, Director, Counter People Smuggling Section. The delegation was accompanied by the Australian Defence Advisor to Sri Lanka Captain Ian Cain and the First Secretary, Australian Border Force Inspector Brett Zehnder.
During the meeting the Coast Guard DG gratefully recalled the infrastructure, training and professional support from the Australian Government highlighting recent donation to provide fuel for SLN, SLCG and SLAF fleet units to continue its anti-human smuggling operations amid the fuel crisis in the country.
Rear Admiral Ekanayake mentioned SLCG’s committed service to deter human smuggling, counter-narcotics and IUU fishing in the country and also noted the apprehensions of illegal migration attempts in recent weeks.
The Australian delegation expressed its appreciation for the contribution of SLCG in controlling the human smuggling attempts in the country and the dedicated role played by the SLCG personnel in various capacities. They expressed that, the Australian Government is remaining dedicated to assisting Sri Lankan authorities to deal with anti-smuggling operations and they are looking forward to coordinating with other international initiatives for further improvements it says.
The SLCG DG and the delegation head also exchanged mementos to mark the occasion.
