Justice Minister pledges action on 11,000 missing persons cases

Minister of Justice and National Integration Attorney Harshana Nanayakkara has taken steps to visit families of disappeared persons to distribute their designated rehabilitation allowance and inquire after their well-being.

The programme was implemented in conjunction with the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, which falls on August 30.

Accordingly, the Minister took measures to visit several families of the disappeared in the Jaffna and Kilinochchi districts to provide these relief measures. He handed over the certificate for the relevant rehabilitation allowance to a family in the Kanagambikaikulam area on Iranamadu Road, Kilinochchi today (25).

It is stated that two daughters of Mr Shanmugam from that family disappeared in 2009.

The Minister held discussions with the members of that family and inquired into the issues they are facing.

The Ministry states that this rehabilitation allowance is granted by the Office on Missing Persons with the objective of improving the living standards of the families of the disappeared and providing them with economic strength.

Meanwhile, Minister Harshana Nanayakkara stated that nearly 11,000 more complaints regarding missing persons remain to be investigated.

He mentioned that around 200 complaints regarding the disappeared in the Kilinochchi and Mullaittivu districts are pending investigation, and those inquiries are expected to be concluded within this year.

The Minister says that although the public lacked trust in the Office on Missing Persons in the past, public confidence in its operations has been built under the present government.

Furthermore, the Minister requested families of the disappeared who have not yet lodged complaints to submit their claims.

It is noted that this marks the first time a Minister of Justice has personally visited the homes of families of the disappeared to hand over their rehabilitation allowance and inquire about their welfare.