Sri Lanka's Office of Missing Persons (OMP) is to establish 12 regional offives, the body's chairman, Saliya Peiris told journalists.
Speaking after the OMP's second sitting in Matara on Saturday, Mr Peiris said, "the OMP is not limited to the missing in the North and it will also inquire into missing persons in the South, including 5,100 missing soldiers and police officers during the war."
"There is no proper list of those who have disappeared since the 1970s and therefore, the OMP will compile an informative database to assist them during their inquiries," he was quoted by colombo Page as saying.
The OMP appointments have been widely criticised by Tamil civil society groups and NGOs for the inclusion of military personnel and the presence of only two Tamil commissioners. The OMP itself was also criticised for failing to ensure adequate consultations with victim communities.
It has also received criticism over its inability to contribute towards criminal prosecutions for its potential findings.
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