According to the news broadcasted on 20 Dec Sri Lanka's navy has rescued 104 Myanmar nationals adrift off the eastern coast of Sri Lanka. It was suspected that the boat was heading to Indonesia when it ran into engine trouble in rough seas. The boat was first detected by the Sri Lanka navy when it was 3.5 nautical miles (6.5km) from the shore. Sri Lanka Navy launched a search and rescue operation and eventually towed the vessel to Trincomalee harbour on Sunday night according to navy sources. The migrants have been handed over to the police who will present them before a magistrate to decide on next steps.According to the latest information, there are 49 children with 21 girls and 28 boys. 80-year-old man, 1 mother and her 2 children were admitted to hospital suffering from minor sickness. Exact information on the gender and age composition of the migrants are still not clear. Language barrier may have been an obstacle in communicating with the migrants. After the legal proceedings, the Myanmar nationals were transferred to Jaffna Prison in the north. According to Sri Lanka immigration officials, the migrants will be transferred to an immigration detention camp in the suburbs of Colombo on 22 December 2022.

Several boats reportedly set off from Bangladesh between 25-27 November 2022, carrying displaced people from Rakhine, Myanmar. Based on previous movements and established routes, it is assumed that the intended desti- nation was either Malaysia or Indonesia.