Police arrested four Tamil youths and questioned Tamils working in shops in Galle. Found British customs officers arrested 15 Sri Lankans and a Bangla Desh national on 29 December attempting to enter Britain illegally, hidden in a freezer truck arriving from France. Rejected According to Danish television, the European Union turned down appeals from Lithuanian authorities for assistance to provide food and housing for refugees currently held in extremely poor conditions, but offered to assist improve border security. Other reports say 103 Sri Lankan illegal entrants in Lithuania will be deported. Disease Two children died of disease at Sirambiyady in Jaffna in late December.
Reports say a number of people in the peninsula are afflicted by an unidentified disease.