OMP Sri Lanka finds that 14 out of tens of thousands disappeared are alive
Sri Lanka’s Office of Missing Persons, which has been running for almost seven years, has found that, fourteen people are still alive, after investigating tens of thousands of complaints about disappearances.
However, The OMP says that they are not in a position to disclose further information at the moment.
"Our office has confirmed the fate of 17 individuals. Of these, three are deceased, and we have gathered details on the remaining 14. These 14 missing persons have been found alive. However, we are not in a position to disclose this information at the moment. Once we obtain consent from the individuals concerned and take the necessary steps, we will release the relevant details," said OMP representative Thambiaiah Yogaraja.
He made this announcement in a press conference held in Kilinochchi, acknowledging that the number of complaints received by his office regarding disappearances has exceeded Twenty One thousand.
"The Office on Missing Persons has received over 21,630 applications to date. Of these, 14,988 application forms and files are under investigation, excluding applications from the police, armed forces, and duplicate submissions. Preliminary investigations have been completed for 6,788 cases. More than 3,800 individuals have been provided with interim relief, with Rs. 2 lakh granted to each complainant"
He also revealed that the office has taken syepd to issue more than 3000 “Certificates of Absence” in relation to disappeared persons.
"Based on the preliminary investigations completed so far, we have sent letters of recommendation for more than 3,600 applications to the Registrar General for the issuance of certificates of absence. Additionally, we have submitted 830 applications for further investigation."
Relatives of the disappeared, who are engaged in their ongoing struggle to locate the disappeared, have continued to strongly criticize the Office of Missing Persons - established on February 28, 2018 during former President Ranil Wickremesinghe's Premiership - for its failure to reveal the truth about any of their loved ones.
