Minister of Justice and National Integration Harshana Nanayakkara says the government has taken concrete steps to strengthen the Office on Missing Persons (OMP), completing its Board of Directors with suitable members including representatives of families of the disappeared, restarting stalled investigations, recruiting 69 essential staff, and granting the institution the independence to carry out its statutory mandate.
The Minister noted that as of July 31, 2026, the OMP had identified 16,966 complaints as investigable and launched preliminary inquiries. Another 11,000 complaints had been delayed due to lack of funds, but in 2025 the Cabinet allocated Rs. 375 million to expedite work through 25 investigation committees.
By end‑July, probes into 3,000 of the pending cases were completed, with the government expecting all preliminary investigations to conclude by the end of 2027.
Nanayakkara said 1,594 cases have already been referred for further inquiry, while 2,719 Certificates of Absence and 409 Certificates of Death have been issued to resolve families’ legal and administrative issues.
Final information has been uncovered in 31 cases, communicated privately to families. In addition, 5,427 persons have been referred to the Reparations Office for compensation, alongside psychosocial support, housing, education, vocational training, and self‑employment programs.
A special committee including family members has recommended a comprehensive relief package now being planned.
“These are not the final results. They are only milestones in the journey. A great responsibility still lies ahead, and we will not abandon it,” the Minister told the national commemoration ceremony in Jaffna on August 25, organized by the OMP to mark the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances.
He stressed that investigations into mass graves are crucial, not for political gain but to uncover the truth. Inquiries, he said, must be evidence‑based, using scientific methods, forensic procedures, and DNA testing.
The government has already allocated Rs. 57 million for excavations and related legal work at the Chemmani mass grave site, with assurances that financial limits will not halt the search for truth.
Addressing families of the disappeared, Nanayakkara said: “You waited for years. You asked questions. You sought answers. You lived with your pain. A government cannot change the past. In some cases, it cannot bring back the lost person. But we can do one thing: we can seek the truth, investigate, apply the law, and deliver justice. We are committed to that.”
He emphasized that remembrance must become responsibility, and responsibility must become action, adding that the government’s mandate is to build a country where the law is equal to all, truth is sought without fear, victims’ voices are heard, and every citizen’s dignity is protected.
The event also featured mobile service programs for families, including diabetes and eye check‑ups.
Fisheries Minister Ramalingam Chandrasekar, OMP Chairman Mahesh Katulanda, Northern Province Governor N. Vedanayagam, MPs, officials, and relatives of the disappeared were present. (Newswire)