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‘Murderers are never going to solve disappearances’ – Families of Disappeared slam talks with Sri Lankan government

Tamil families of the disappeared denounced the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) for engaging in discussion with Sri Lankan president Ranil Wickremesinghe over a “national all-party programme,” stating that only an international accountability mechanism will see justice served.

In a press release and remarks to reporters last week, members of the Organisation of Relatives of Enforced Disappeared Eelam Tamils criticised the talks as “whitewashing” the Sri Lankan state’s crimes.

Engaging in talks simply buys the Sri Lankan state time with the international community and “escape international scrutiny” said a press release. “The demand of the people of Eelam is that international investigations should be conducted regarding the issue of missing persons and genocide,” it added. “Murderers are never going to solve the problem of genocide and disappearances.”

Both the press release and spokesperson Thamilini Malavan highlighted the TNA’s recent discussions with the Wickremesinghe, stating that such moves only serve the Sri Lankan state’s goals.

Read the full press release in Tamil here.

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