Tamil Rehabilitation Minister Fails to Find Out the Fate of Missing Persons

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Tamil Rehabilitation Minister Fails to Find Out the Fate of Missing Persons

[EelamNation, November 11/2001]

The President of Missing Persons’ Guardian Association said on Saturday, November 10 in Jaffna that the Northern rehabilitation Minister didn't keep any of his promises to find missing persons. He said that he is not going to submit any more complaints to find out the fate of hundreds of missing persons during and after the military adventure by the Sri Lankan Forces in 1995 – 1996. 100 Day Loans

The Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) organized two-day event in the ground of Jaffna Central College on Saturday and Sunday to get the complaints from people in order to fulfill their demands. Thousands lined up and made complaints but most went home without hope, sources said.

The Minister and leader of EPDP appeared amidst high security at the college ground to see the progress but he left after a short time. The persons heard the ministry official's promise that they would send their complaints to appropriate departments to be processed, the sources added.

Mr. Selvarajah, the Missing Persons’ Guardian Association, said his organization along with other organizations were not going to hand in the complaints, instead the organizations had staged a peaceful protest to draw the attention of public earlier on Saturday, near the Muniappar Temple in the town in which more than two hundred parents and relatives of the missing persons participated.

He said further that his organization and other organizations submitted a complaint last May in the presence of lawyer Ms. Maheswari Velautham to Tamil Rehabilitation Minister and the leader of EPDP Mr. Douglas Devananda. They promised that they are going to take it to appropriate department to find out what had happened to the missing persons as soon as possible. But the promise has yet to be fulfilled, Mr. Selvarajah said.

He frustrated that we are not going to submit such complaint letters in the hands of EPDP. We cannot expect justice from this organization. But we will continue our struggle until we get answers. In the meantime, Sri Lankan military's extra judicial killings and arbitrary arrests and tortures would continue unabated, he added.

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