Interim report on disappearances submitted

[TamilNet, Monday, 04 January 1999, 18:25 GMT]
The Presidential Commission on Disappearances submitted an interim report to the President, giving its observations and recommendations based on its investigations since June last year.

The Commission received over 10,135 complaints for inquiry. A bulk of these complaints are from the Central Province, said M.C.M.Iqbal, the Secretary to the Commission, in a press release today.

The Commission has received 460 complaints from the Jaffna district. Most of the complainants in these complaints could not be contacted despite attempts made through the ICRC with the assistance of the GA of Jaffna, as they are now not the at the addresses given in their complaints, the release said.

The Secretary to the Commission said that steps are being taken to trace them before the Commission proceeds to Jaffna to inquire into these complaints.

This Commission had sittings in Trincomalee and Batticaloa.

It is reported that 18,136 have applied for death certificates in respect of disappearances, availing themselves of the facilities provided by the Registration of Deaths (Temporary Provisions) Act. This Act was amended recently enabling death certificates to be obtained based on the findings of Disappearances Commissions and making it possible for displaced complainants to register deaths at the office of the Divisional Secretary of the area in which they reside now.

Officials of the Relief and Rehabilitation Authority said the Authority had so far expended a sum of Rs.256 million to pay compensation to 7553 applications. The remaining applications are to be paid compensation during the coming years the added.

This Interim Report contains a list of about 100 cases that have been filed in the High Courts and the Magistrates Courts against those responsible for disappearances, a list of persons who have received compensation and a list of persons whose disappearances have been confirmed.

There are 7560 complaints to be listed for inquiry and the term of this Commission has been extended till the end of April 1999, the press release said.