Presidential Commission probing disappearances to hear cases in Jaffna next week
Friday, 7 February 2014 01:04
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The Presidential Commission investigating alleged abductions or disappearances of persons resident in the Northern and Eastern Provinces during the period 1990-2009 will hold its next public sittings in Jaffna District.
The public hearings will be in Chavakachcheri, Kopay and the Jaffna town from 14-17 February.
The members of the commission have visited the district to meet the district officials including the District Secretary, relevant Divisional Secretaries and Grama Niladharis in Jaffna in order to make preliminary arrangements, an official said.
Secretary of the Commission H.W. Gunadasa has said that the Commission received the highest number of missing cases from Jaffna. The Commission has received 3000-4000 cases from the Jaffna district.
He said the Commission would inform the people who lodged complaints through public media of the sittings in the district.
The Commission held its first public sittings in Kilinochchi District from 18-21 January where it heard complaints from 440 people. Following the public hearing in Kilinochchi, the Commission has submitted details of 162 cases of missing persons in the area to the Attorney General’s Department for further investigation.
The Commission has received approximately 13,700 complaints from all parts of the country and approximately 9,300 complaints of disappearances are of civilians and 4,300 are of security personnel.
According to the official, an interim report will be handed over to the President by the end of next month. A website will also be launched soon by the Commission to facilitate complainants to access information regarding the status of their complaints.
