Northern Province Governor Nagalingam Vedanayagam has pledged that the government will continue investigations into enforced disappearance cases while ensuring justice and financial reparations for affected families, reaffirming a renewed state commitment to addressing one of Sri Lanka’s most painful post-war human rights issues.
Speaking during an awareness program at the Kilinochchi District Secretariat recently, the governor described enforced disappearances as a humanitarian tragedy marked by decades of grief, uncertainty, and emotional suffering for thousands of families still searching for answers about missing loved ones. He said the pain experienced by families who do not know whether relatives are alive or dead is more agonizing than the grief caused by natural death.
Vedanayagam stressed that investigations conducted through the Office on Missing Persons (OMP) would continue without interruption and rejected rumors suggesting that families who accept death certificates, pensions, provident funds, or financial assistance would lose the right to seek justice. He clarified that accepting state support would not end investigations or halt efforts to uncover the truth.
The governor also addressed ongoing excavations of suspected mass graves in areas including Chemmani, saying the government is providing full cooperation and funding for the investigations. He urged local administrative officials to properly document evidence and historical records needed for court proceedings and forensic inquiries.
He acknowledged criticism of previous investigations and stated that the current administration is committed to transparent governance and accountability. According to Vedanayagam, several members of the present government have personally experienced the pain of searching for disappeared relatives, giving them a deeper understanding of the suffering faced by victims’ families.
Enforced disappearances remain one of Sri Lanka’s most sensitive human rights issues following the country’s civil war, with thousands of families in the Northern Province continuing to demand answers regarding missing relatives decades after the conflict ended.
