Speaking in Mannar, Manuwal Udayachandra, president of the Association of Families Searching for Missing Relatives condemned Sri Lanka’s Office of Missing Persons (OMP).
“We initially said that we do not need the Office of Missing Persons (OMP)” Udayachandra stated.
She notes that there was no benefit in making records with the office. A report by the UN High Commissioner highlights that the OMP "has not been able to trace a single disappeared person or clarify the fate of the disappeared in meaningful ways".
Udayachandra added: “We don't trust OMP. We don't trust you”.
She further criticised the government for sending meaningless letters and detailing the continued harassment of the Families of the Disappeared.
Over 125 family members of the disappeared who have been active in the protests across the North-East, demanding to know the whereabouts of the disappeared and justice for their fates, have died without answers.
Tamil Families of the Disappeared have protested for over 2,300 days demanding an account for their missing loved ones and for the international community to pursue an international mechanism.
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.
