Families of victims of enforced disappearances have requested a meeting with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to coincide with the organisation’s 35th annual commemoration, scheduled for tomorrow (27) in Raddoluwa, Seeduwa.
According to the organisation’s chairperson, Britto Fernando, the families hope to discuss the ongoing challenges they face and to obtain updates on Government initiatives aimed at addressing their concerns. The organisation, which advocates for the rights of victims of enforced disappearances and their families, has also invited the President to attend and speak at the commemoration. However, no response has been received yet.
“We have requested that the President grant the families an opportunity to meet him at his office if he is unable to attend the event,” Fernando said.
The commemoration will take place at the Memorial of the Disappeared in Raddoluwa, Seeduwa, starting at 10.00 a.m.
Earlier this month, the United Nations Committee on Enforced Disappearances (UNCED) raised concerns about the effectiveness of Sri Lanka’s Office on Missing Persons (OMP). The committee’s report, released on October 7, revealed that of the 16,966 complaints received by the OMP, only 23 cases had been successfully traced.
UNCED urged the Government to strengthen national institutions’ capacity to locate and identify mass graves, conduct exhumations, and develop a comprehensive strategy for the search, identification, and investigation of such burial sites.
