A much criticised Sri Lankan government commission into disappearances has received over 18,000 submissions regarding missing people, in just three hearings across the North-East of the island.

Krishanthy Kumaraswamy, 18y, gang raped and killed by soldiers on 7 August 1996

“Amnesty International has documented several cases of rape by members of the security forces. Because many women are reluctant to give testimony about their treatment by the security forces, Amnesty International believes that these testimonies represent only a fraction of a widespread pattern of human rights violations. In those cases reported to Amnesty International, the authorities took some initial action against the alleged perpetrators. However, the organization does not know of any member of the security forces who has been brought to justice on charges of rape.”

The Sri Lankan government is not providing help for disadvantaged farmers in the North, TNA MP Selvam Adaikalanathan said in Parliament on Tuesday.

In addition to being affected by natural disasters, farmers in the North face several difficulties, including loan burdens and inflated resource costs.

An army camp in Achuveli will not be closed under any circumstances, due to its importance in preventing the return of the LTTE, military spokesperson Ruwan Wanigasooriya told press on Thursday.

Wanigasooriya claimed that although the lands of nine families had been 'appropriated' to build the camp in 1995, the government was making arrangements to compensate those families.