Sydney : Australia on Sunday said it would give Sri Lanka two patrol boats to tackle people-smuggling operations in the Indian Ocean, hoping they can detect vessels before they leave the Asian nation's waters.
The decision comes with the Tony Abbott-led government ramping up efforts to deter asylum-seekers arriving on unauthorised boats, a sensitive political issue that was a dominant factor in September elections.
While many boats make the precarious journey from Indonesia, 120 left from Sri Lanka last year for what can be a three-week voyage, according to official figures, although only 14 have been detected so far in 2013.
"Our cooperation with Sri Lanka in the region is important as it is effective.
Sri Lankan police have arrested dozens of people for organising illegal boat trips to Australia, including several naval personnel in an embarrassment for Colombo which had maintained there was no senior level official collusion with the smugglers.
Abbott is currently in Sri Lanka for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting and finalised the deal with President Mahinda Rajapakse as part of diplomatic talks.
The decision comes with the Tony Abbott-led government ramping up efforts to deter asylum-seekers arriving on unauthorised boats, a sensitive political issue that was a dominant factor in September elections.
While many boats make the precarious journey from Indonesia, 120 left from Sri Lanka last year for what can be a three-week voyage, according to official figures, although only 14 have been detected so far in 2013.
"Our cooperation with Sri Lanka in the region is important as it is effective.
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Sri Lankan police have arrested dozens of people for organising illegal boat trips to Australia, including several naval personnel in an embarrassment for Colombo which had maintained there was no senior level official collusion with the smugglers.
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Abbott is currently in Sri Lanka for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting and finalised the deal with President Mahinda Rajapakse as part of diplomatic talks.
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