Disappearance investigations need GoSL, LTTE support - ICRC

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 June 2003, 03:19 GMT]
On the appeal made at the fifth round of talks between the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) at the Norwegian Embassy in Berlin on 7, 8 February 2003, International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) came forward to provide assistance in investigation of the people who disappeared in Northeast after 1990, said Filipa Nato Marques, the resident representative of the ICRC in Batticaloa district during a press briefing held Tuesday evening at the ICRC office in Batticaloa.

"More than 20,000 people have disappeared since the beginning of the conflict. Majority of the disappearances occurred after 1990. Both protoganists are responsible for these disappearances," said Ms. Marques.






"ICRC on request from the peace delegations are currently engaged in investigating and tracing the disappeared. We have contacted the parents and relatives of the disappeared to gather information. We have located some of the disappeared. Some of the identified are still being held in detention. Many have been killed and for several of the disappeared we do not have any leads," she further said.

"GoSL and the LTTE have not contacted us regarding the investigations after the initial request. We will be able to expedite our investigations if both parties jointly express their desire for the ICRC to continue to aggressively pursue the investigations," Ms. Marques further said in her briefing to the press.