Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa has emphasized that the families of those who disappeared due to past conflicts in Sri Lanka are still living with various tragedies and they should get the right to know the truth and justice.
He made these comments during a meeting with Angelique Appeyroux, the representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross for Sri Lanka at the office of the Leader of the Opposition in Colombo. It is reported that this meeting was held on October 4.
The main issue discussed in the meeting was that the humanitarian problems caused by the past conflicts have not yet been fully resolved. In particular, attention has been paid to the fact that many families have been waiting for years without receiving any information about what happened to their relatives.
According to Sajith Premadasa, it is necessary to approach such issues not only from a political point of view but also on a humanitarian and evidence-based basis. It is also emphasized that victims should be accorded equal respect and mercy irrespective of their caste, religion or political background.
It is not uncommon for a family to wait for a long time in hopes of getting information about their missing relative. As time passes, the expectations and stress of those families may increase. Thus the issue of missing persons remains an important humanitarian issue that still needs to be addressed.
Expectations of families of missing persons
What the families of the missing need first and foremost is reliable information to know what happened to their relatives. The fact that families have to go on for so long without getting answers to even basic questions like whether someone is alive or not and what happened to them is a huge burden for them.
Sajith Premadasa said that the International Red Cross Society has recently pointed out that thousands of families from various communities have such expectations.
In this context, it is also suggested that the capacity of national institutions to carry out the work of tracing missing persons in a more systematic manner should be increased. Rather than simply conducting investigations and ending the matter, efforts should be made to find out the truth using available documents, evidence and scientific evidence.
The meeting also focused on strengthening the capacities of the Forensic Medicine Department for this purpose. Especially in relation to unidentified human remains, examinations, science-based investigations and necessary technical facilities may play an important role in such cases.
At the same time, cooperation between government agencies is also very important. As information about missing persons can be found in different organizations, an effective framework needs to be developed to integrate and use that information.
There is a need to strengthen the capacity of national institutions
Sajith Premadasa has also emphasized that if a long-term solution to the issue of missing persons is to be found, the country’s own institutions should be strengthened.
Expertise and assistance of international organizations can be used where necessary. But there is a need to have strong national institutions that can respond to such humanitarian issues consistently and reliably within the country.
For this, not only the technical capabilities of the organizations will need to be improved, but also the training of personnel, information storage systems, investigative procedures and inter-organizational coordination.
When talking about the humanitarian consequences of past conflicts, it is also necessary to give importance to the voices of affected families. Understanding their needs and working with them respectfully and sensitively will be critical to any national mechanism.
At the same time, the Leader of the Opposition said that Parliament and national institutions should work constructively to solve these problems. The meeting also highlighted the need to further strengthen respect for international humanitarian law and resolve the remaining humanitarian challenges.
Although many years have passed since the end of Sri Lanka’s past conflicts, its effects still linger in the lives of some families. The issue remains unresolved, especially for families who have no clear answers to the plight of their missing relatives.
Therefore, it is important to approach the issue of missing persons across political divides. Finding the truth, providing information to the families and creating avenues for them to get the justice they deserve are priorities.
There is a need for government, parliament, national institutions and, where necessary, international organizations to work together to establish a credible solution to this problem. Central to the case is the fact that families who have been waiting for years should at least be given the right to know what happened to their loved ones.
This demand by Sajith Premadasa has brought back into political and social focus the need for a more comprehensive solution to the humanitarian issues associated with past conflicts.