Sri Lanka has arrested 17 asylum seekers aboard a trawler allegedly heading to Australia. The boat was detected off the southern coast of Hambantota on Thursday and brought ashore for investigations. Boats from Sri Lanka take up to three weeks to reach Australia, although some migrants travel by air to Indonesia and then take wooden boats to the Australian coast.People smugglers charge up to 5,000 dollars for a one-way journey to Canada, Europe, Australia or New Zealand. Sri Lanka's navy has stepped up patrols in recent times to stop immigrants leaving the island's shores.