Relatives of the Disappeared persons in Mannar are demanding the abolition of the Office of Missing Persons following years of inadequate inquiries which, the UN High Commissioner notes, "has not been able to trace a single disappeared person or clarify the fate of the disappeared in meaningful ways".
Speaking to our journalists, the head of the Mannar District Disappeared Relatives Association, Manuel Udayachandra, stressed the need to do away with such institutions.
“The missing persons office is talking about compensating our children or giving them death certificates. We do not require compensation or death certificates. Stop the compensation negotiations now and get rid of the missing person office in Mannar or we will get rid of it” she warned.
Udayachandra is continuing his struggle to find her 24-year-old son who was forcibly disappeared in 2008.
Speaking to journalists earlier she noted that
“My son came home on September 12, 2008 and was taken away by the Navy for questioning. But I do not know what my son's position is until this. I went to all the naval camps in Sri Lanka and looked for my child”.
Read more here: Mannar families of disappeared call on UN Human Rights Council to deliver justice
“We have long been asking for the return of our children who were handed over to government forces, not compensation. Apart from that, the Minister of Justice has no authority to talk about compensation. Don't come to Mannar's side talking about compensation” he told reporters.
The Tamil Families of the Disappeared have sustained their protests for over 2,200 days in pursuit of their loved ones who were forcibility disappeared, many of whom were last seen in military custody.
“148 parents who fought to find their children have died without knowing what happened to their relatives. We do not have any faith in government investigations and call for international mediation” he maintained.
