A bill amending the Office of Missing Persons Act to be presented to parliament was gazetted today. The bill repeals section 11 (a) of the Act which grants the Office of Missing Persons (OMP) the express power "to enter into agreements, as are necessary to achieve the mandate of the OMP, with any person or organization." 

There is currently an ongoing legal debate in Sri Lanka about whether the repeal of this section prevents the OMP from being able to enter into agreements with international organizations and individuals. Families of the disappeared have repeatedly demanded international involvement in any mechanism to deal with disappearances. 

An earlier text of the OMP Act included the following iteration of s. 11(a):

11. The OMP shall have the following general powers-

(a) to enter into such agreements, where necessary, with any person or organization whether incorporated or otherwise, and whether domestic or foreign, including agreements securing assistance in obtaining information; obtaining technical support and training (forensic or otherwise) and collaboration; establishing databases and personal data protection; and in respect of confidentiality of information.;

 

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This bill comes as families of the disappeared protesting in Kilinochchi enter their 15th day of protest.