Sri Lanka launches manhunt to arrest 6 Filipinos over murder

COLOMBO (Xinhua) - The Sri Lankan police have launched a widespread manhunt to locate six Filipinos who were said to have murdered another on a ship which was anchored at the Colombo port on Monday.

Colombo Harbor Police officials said that the Filipino was murdered following a dispute with a few others on the ship.

The six suspects involved had fled from the ship soon after the murder and police search teams had been set up to locate them.

The Taiwan flagged ship anchored at the Colombo port early on Monday morning and the crew had been engaged in a severe dispute.

The dispute led to the 37 year old victim being stabbed by the others, the police said.

Several deaths of foreigners have been reported in Sri Lanka since last year leading to immigration and emigration department officials tightening the law over foreigners living in the island illegally.

Last year alone over 1,000 foreign nationals engaged in various unscrupulous activities violating visa regulations were arrested and deported.

The Department of Immigration and Emigration had warned that stern action would be taken against foreigners engaged in crime and violation of immigration and emigration regulations and they would be penalized and deported.