Northern Province Chief Minister CV Wigneswaran fears Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has not released Tamil political prisoners as he does not want to anger the Sinhalese majority ahead of elections later this year.
Speaking to the New York Times, the chief minister said dozens of political prisoners could be released immediately but expressed doubts over the government's pledges to release detainees.
“I’m talking of a history of not living up to promises in the past,” Mr. Wigneswaran said. “The prime minister wants to play for time because the elections are coming.”
The prime minister dismissed widely-held views that thousands of Tamil political detainees are being held in Sri Lanka's prisons.
“There are a few hundreds, I think, not thousands,” he said to the NYT.
“There are people who are missing whose names are not found anywhere,” which means they either “are not among the living or they left the country. That’s all.”
Mr Wickremesinghe said an initial list has already been drawn up.
“I just want it to be verified twice over from my end before we say here’s the final list,” Mr. Wickremesinghe said. “We should have it by March. And if there is any secret camps, you can close it down and get these people.”