PM assures Govt committed to ensuring justice related to enforced disappearances
The government is committed to ensuring justice for the victims affected by injustices related to enforced disappearances, Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya said in Parliament.
The Prime Minister made the statement in Parliament today (09 Apr) while responding to a question raised by Batticaloa District MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam.
“The government is committed to delivering justice to those who have been affected by the issue of disappearances. However, we cannot conduct these investigations on a personal basis, and such matters must be addressed legally and institutionally. The institutional and systemic failures in the past years mainly caused the delays in these matters. Therefore, such issues need to be addressed,” she said.
Stating that the matter was not about gaining popularity, PM Amarasuriya said, instead, it was necessary to establish institutions and environment to ensure that such incidents do not recur, while addressing the existing injustices.
“The public has lost their trust in the Office for Reparations and the Office on Missing Persons because they were merely established in name and lacked adequate strength and were largely ineffective. This is what happened in the past, and that is what is expected to be corrected. Hence, it must be ensured that the right individuals are placed in positions, that sufficient resources are allocated, and that the institutions are capable of fulfilling their responsibilities,” she said.
Acknowledging that there are still pending legal disputes related to the missing persons, the Prime Minister said some of these cases have been under dispute for the past 16 years, adding, “It is not an easy task, but the government is committed to ensuring justice.
PM Harini Amarasuriya also noted that the Cabinet has approved the proposal submitted by the Ministry of Justice to appoint a committee to provide recommendations on repealing the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). (Newswire)
2025-04-09
