Sri Lanka commission on war missing holds fresh inquiries

A Sri Lankan Presidential Commission of Inquiry (COI) appointed to look into complaints regarding people reported missing during the country's civil war began holding fresh inquiries on Saturday. The public sittings will be held till Tuesday in the eastern towns of Trincomalee and Mutur, the Commission said.

Secretary to the commission, H.W. Gunadasa said that people who had already made complaints from the areas had been invited to appear before the commission to make oral statements.

The commission has also invited any person, persons or organizations within the selected areas to submit fresh complaints to the commission during this period.

The commission, which expanded from three members to five members, submitted its Interim Report to President Maithripala Sirisena in April.

The Presidential Commission was appointed to inquire into and report on alleged abductions or disappearances that occurred during the period Jan. 1, 1983 to May 19, 2009.

In its interim report, the commission headed by Maxwell Paranagama, noted that it had received 16,153 complaints from residents in the Northern and Eastern provinces and 5,200 complaints from the families of security forces personnel.

The Commission noted in the report that allegations of forced disappearances, abductions and arbitrary arrests have been made against the Tamil Tiger rebels, security forces, armed groups and unknown groups.

Based on the inquiries conducted thus far, accountability and responsibility by these parties vary from district to district, and in the Northern Province, 60 percent of the allegations were leveled against the rebels, 30 percent against the security forces, 5 percent against armed groups and 5 percent against unknown groups.