A disappearance every five days in post-war Sri Lanka

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Photo courtesy WSWS

On 21^st at 2.31pm, August 2012, 32 year old Vasanthamala sent a sms from her mobile to her relatives saying she had been taken by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Vavuniya. Around 8pm the same night, she made short phone calls to her mother and father, and said she was alright. When her parents had tried to find out where she was calling from, the call had been cut off and has been switched off thereafter, to date as her parents are still unable to get through to her.

When her father tried to complain to the Vavuniya Police, they had refused to accept the complaint stating that she must have eloped with a man. The complaint was only accepted once her father visited the Police station the following day along with his wife. Prior to the arrest, on the 19^th of August, some persons claiming to be from the CID, had called Vasanthamala’s mother and told her that her daughter would be arrested unless she  produced some documents to the Vavuniya Police. Even in July, 2012, the Police had made inquiries regarding Vasanthamala.

Vasanthamala’s parents were amongst the around 500 families of disappeared persons who gathered in Vavuniya today, 30^th August 2012, the International Day of the Disappeared, demanding for justice, accountability and  the whereabouts of their loved ones. . The families  staged a peaceful protest on the A9 road in front of the Vavuniya bus stand, and later held a public meeting at the Vavuniya Urban Council hall. Most of the families were Tamil and from the North and the East, with  many families of former LTTE leaders who have gone missing after surrendering, and also families of soldiers who are missing in action.

The event was held as disappearances (mostly in the form of abductions), continued to be reported at a rate of more than one every five days in post-war Sri Lanka. Twenty one disappearances (including attempted abductions) have been reported by Sri Lanka’s English media in the 100 days between April 1^st and July 9^th2012. This brings the total number of disappearances reported from 1^st January to 9^th July to 57. [1]

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