5 July 2023 – Following the rescue of a vessel carrying more than 300 Sri Lankan nationals off the coast of Vietnam in November 2022, which reportedly had set sail for Canada, intelligence gathered suggested that migrant smugglers had provided the passengers with forged passports to facilitate their travel to Southeast Asian countries.
Investigators and other officials from the Immigration Services of Sri Lanka and Malaysia gathered in Colombo with the support of STARSOM project to strengthen cooperation and explore ways to further the investigation into migrant smuggling networks operating in the region.
The utilization of forged passports or the improper use of authentic passports was identified during the meeting as a prevailing modus operandi employed by smugglers in both countries. In 2022, Sri Lankan authorities detected a total of 137 cases involving forged or misused identity and travel documents, encompassing various fraudulent activities such as counterfeit residence permits, visas, passport biodata page substitutions, impostor passports, fraudulently obtained passports, and altered residence permits.
Following the two-day exchanges, both delegations shared their intention to pursue the dialogue and designated one focal point from each country to channel requests for information. UNODC will organize a follow up meeting with the same participants in 2024, to take stock of the progress made on the issues identified during the meeting.
