HRC on recent media reports....

COLOMBO: The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRC) in a release in response to media reports that the commission has decided to stop inquiries into odd complaints of disappearance of persons in 1980-99 period says:

This is a response to media reports that the HRC has decided to stop inquiries into 2209 odd complaints of disappearance of persons during the period from 1980 to 1999. The new Commission had at no stage decided not to inquire into these cases.

The New Commission has not asked for any directions from the Government nor do they intend to do so.

The media has quoted from a letter sent to Iqbal, Consultant to the previous commission, regarding a list of 12,000 names of missing persons documented by the ICRC. Iqbal has already resigned from the Post of Manager, Disappearance Data Based Project by this letter dated 30.062006 for non payment of his travelling allowance.

By letter dated 16.12.2004, the previous Commission has requested the Secretary to the previous President to authorise the HRC to retrieve the relevant documents already deposited in the National Archives by various Presidential Commissions.

This request has been made on the basis of a letter sent by Dr. Jayantha Dhanapala then Secretary-General of the Peace Secretariat with a copy to Dr. Radhika Coomaraswamy, Chairperson HRC dated 26.10.2004 to the Secretary/Foreign Affairs to consider a suggestion to set up a permanent Commission on Missing Persons in Sri Lanka.

The Secretary to the former President at that time invited the HRC Chairperson and the ICRC chief to discuss these suggestions. Dr. Coomaraswamy has directed Iqbal to attend this meeting on her behalf.

On the basis of the above discussions, the HRC has written to the Secretary to the former President seeking authorisation for the above project.

In reply to this request W.J.S. Karunaratne, Secretary to the former President by his letter dated 14.03.2005 has authorised the HRC to take over all the cases of missing persons deposited at the National Archives.

By this time the New Commission was appointed Rightly or wrongly the previous Commission had requested and received directions from the Secretary to the former President to inquire into these disappearances.

Therefore there is no necessity for the present commission to request for directions from the Government.

The Commission Secretary sent a letter to Iqbal who had resigned as Project Manager as he had requested funds to conduct these inquiries. He also had submitted a Board paper requesting to prepare a rough estimate of financial requirement from the Project Accountant and has said that the estimate should include remuneration to staff, stationery and cost of transport.

Further he had stated that the HRC should provide accommodation for members and staff who may have to visit various parts of the country to hold inquiries. The cadre of about at least 15 persons including the Committee and the Secretary is needed to establish a formal office for this purpose to deal with inquires expeditiously.

That is the reason that the Secretary of this Commission informed Iqbal that "the Board do not propose to go ahead with the concept paper for the time being unless special directions are received from the Government with regard to the funding.

"This letter of Secretary is in accordance with the provisions of Section 29 of HRC Act No. 21 of 1996. "The State shall provide the Commission with adequate funds to enable the Commission to discharge the functions assigned to it by this Act."

The Commission is ready to start that inquiries on availability of funds. The Commission has already appointed W. Ekanayake as new Project Manager, Disappearance Data Based Project in place of Iqbal.