Disappeared persons’ families to support President

Chamikara Weerasinghe

Leading organizations composed of parents and family members of the disappeared persons during the spate of violence in 1988-90 announced that they will support President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the forthcoming Presidential Election to protect the country from an underlying conspiracy to reverse the country’s forward march as a proud nation as they celebrated International Human Rights Day on Thursday at the National Youth Services Council Auditorium in Maharagama.

The office-bearers of the Organization of Parents and Family Members of the Disappeared, the Group of Families of the Disappeared, the Organisation of Fishery Families of the Disappeared, the Confederation of Family Members of the Disappeared due to Tsunami, said yesterday that they have decided to extend their support to ensure the victory of President Rajapaksa at the 2010 Presidential Election for they believe that neither UNP nor JVP can establish democracy or good governance in the country.

Organization of Parents and Family Members of the Disappeared Chairman K.G. Sakkya Nanayakkara said the organizations of the disappeared will launch a campaign in support of President Rajapaksa in 18 districts in the South and six districts in the North with the participation of 150,000 families of the disappeared.

“We have decided to defeat the conspiracy by defeating their common candidate, retired General Sarath Fonseka who they have drawn into contest in the election,” he said.

“Our decision has been unanimous in defeating their common candidate because we do not want to endanger the country’s future with a military leadership,” he added.

Besides both the JVP and the UNP have blood stained hands and they have violated human rights and are responsible for many disappearances that had taken place in the country in the distant past, he said.

President Rajapaksa took steps to appoint Presidential Commissions to look into human disappearances in the country.