International assistance in search of missing Sri Lankan’s

Mar 19, 2016

A human rights organization in Colombo has started a discussion with an international organization in search of the accurate figures of missing people in Sri Lanka during the war time.

Guatemalan Forensic Anthropology Foundation (FAFG) and members of the international commission on missing persons (ICMP) jointly participated for a round table discussion organized by the Centre for Human Rights & Development (CHRD).

 

Families of the disappeared people from the north and south participated in this round table discussion held at a private hotel in Colombo on the 17th and 18th of March.

 

Disappeared journalist Prageeth Ekneligoda’s wife Sandya Ekneligoda said the mechanism adopted by Guatemala to investigate the missing persons can be followed here.

 

Government office

 

She said discussions were focused how the office started by the government in search of missing persons should be formed.

 

Guatemalan Forensic Anthropology Foundation (FAFG) convened a similar round table discussion in Trincomalee recently.

 

In November last year the Guatemalan Forensic Anthropology Foundation (FAFG) and the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) met the people suffered in the war, relatives of the missing people, members of the civil society and had discussions.

 

Government sponsorship

 

Secretary of the CHRD, Sundaram Mahendran said that Guatemalan Forensic Anthropology Foundation (FAFG) was able to search factual information’s of the genocide happened in Guatemala and information’s about missing persons.

 

Sundaram Mahendran said the organization was able to search of people who were massacred and able to exhume body parts of victims who were buried and able to help the members of the family to pay their last respect. He said the Guatemalan government has given its full permission for the task.

 

He further said it would be doubtful how the Sri Lankan government would render powers to the Guatemalan Forensic Anthropology Foundation (FAFG) to reveal information’s about similar incidents happened in Sri Lanka.

 

International commission on missing persons (ICMP) has informed the United Nations about 22,000 missing persons during the war and the post war era in Sri Lanka.

 

The United Nations has estimated that nearly 40,000 – 70,000 people died during the last phase of the war. However, Mannar bishop Rayappu Joseph giving evidence to the Lessons learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) said more than 140,000 people are missing.