THOSE INVOLVED IDENTIFIED
Missing Persons’ Commission
Based on the inquiries conducted up to last Saturday, the Commission on Missing Persons has identified those directly involved in enforced disappearances, abductions and killings in the North and East, the Commission’s Chairman Maxwell Paranagama said yesterday.
We will in turn submit a report on the violation of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) with our recommendations to President Maithripala Sirisena so that the Attorney General could frame charges against perpetrators
He said the Commission has instructed the five-member panel set up to inquire into the cases with prima-facie evidence to conduct an in-depth investigation on each case and submit a report to the Commission.
“We will in turn submit a report on the violation of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) with our recommendations to President Maithripala Sirisena so that the Attorney General could frame charges against perpetrators,” Mr. Paranagama said.
However, he said there were certain people who were unhappy about the work done by the Commission and there were protests in Trincomalee and Ampara during the recording of evidence from next of kin of families of missing persons.
“It is clear that they do not want the Commission to unearth the truth behind the killings, abductions and enforced disappearances and provide relief to the families of victims. It is also evident that they want to keep the embers of mistrust, suspicion and uncertainty smoldering for their own survival. It appears that they live on the tears and pain of the survivors,” Mr. Paranagama said.
He said despite protests a large number of the next of kin were present at the hearings. Evidence was recorded from 993 of the 1,264 present at the public sittings between December 11 and 16 at Jaffna, Point Pedro, Chankanai and Tellippalai.
The people in the North and East have displayed their confidence in the Commission by continuing to send it petitions. Up to yesterday, the Commission had received 18,629 petitions on missing civilians while 5,603 petitions were from families of missing armed forces personnel.
”Who is going to address the grievances of those who have sent petitions to probe the circumstances that led to abductions, missing or killings? Does any foreign investigator have the capacity, experience or capability to interact with members of the victims’ families as done by members of the Commission? Only anti-sri Lankan elements are hell-bent on continuing with ethnic and racial tension for their own agendas,” Mr. Paranagama said.
He said the President appointed a five-member panel headed by a retired high court judge to inquire further into the submissions made by family members of missing persons and pave the way for criminal proceedings against perpetrators.
Mr. Paranagama said the Commission has provided relief to hundreds of families of missing persons in the last two years in the form of financial compensation, housing, reinstatement of employment, paying arrears to under paid public employees and paying pensions to those who had been denied pensions.