Relatives of disappeared people march in Colombo

Sri Lankans want new Office of Missing Persons to investigate cases effectively.

Relatives of disappeared people protest in Colombo Aug. 30 hoping for the new Office of Missing Persons investigate those lost during the civil war. (ucanews.com photo)

Colombo:  Families of disappeared people held a protest in Colombo to support the government's plan to establish an Office of Missing Persons to investigate cases that date back to the civil war.

Thousands marched in silence on the International Day of Enforced Disappearances Aug. 30 in Colombo. The protest comes ahead of Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon's three-day visit.

The Sri Lankan government has decided to form an office to trace the fate of missing and forcibly disappeared persons.

The bill to establish the Office of Missing Persons to investigate cases was passed in parliament recently with objections from the opposition who claimed the bill would betray people in the military.

Murugapillai Theresamma, 74, who came all the way from Irudayapuram in northern Sri Lanka, said that her son was taken away in 2007 in a white van. She hasn't heard anything since.

"We complained to local and international organizations but we never received a positive answer so we welcome the establishment of the Office of Missing Persons to investigate cases," said Theresamma, a Tamil who also looks after her fatherless grandchildren.

"We are seeking help from the authorities to get him back because his three children lost their mother too," she said, crying. "I am now 74 and after my death there will be nobody to look after them."

Princy Pushpa's 18-year-old brother Ajith Laksman was abducted while attending a church service. "My brother was abducted in 1989 and he never returned home," said Pushpa, a Sinhalese woman.

"We went everywhere in search of him," she said. "I urge the present government to find out what happened and bring the culprits to court."

Charity Sister Noel Christine, a rights activist who marched with the relatives, said that setting up an Office of Missing Persons to investigate cases would help people find closure.

"The processes of the office should be expedited to address the concerns of thousands of victims and help their relatives find true information," said Sister Christine.

"We can't think of a true reconciliation without it," she said. "All disappearances must be investigated; only then can we find the truth and take steps to avoid such crimes in the future."

The majority of cases date back to the civil war between the government and the Tamil Tigers during which at one stage Sri Lanka had the world's second highest rate of disappearances, according to a 1999 UN report.

All the disappearances were the direct or indirect involvement of the government military and para-military groups.

Recently the government formed the Lessons Learned and Reconciliation Commission and collected over 20,000 complaints. Most of the cases are still unresolved.

According to the government, the Office of Missing Persons will be formed to address the issue systematically and imitate best practices established in countries such as Uganda, Bolivia, Argentina and Uruguay.

Nimalka Fernando, attorney-at-law hoped the Office of Missing Persons would help families the disappeared. "The office should not be stopped for petty political agendas," said Fernando. "It helps families reunite and gives them justice, relief and support."

M.A. Sumanthiran, a Tamil opposition lawmaker said that they helped the government draft the Office of Missing Persons bill and would continue support its establishment. He said that the proposed office would be an effective mechanism.

Source: UCAN