COLOMBO,
Sri Lanka — Hundreds of people held candles and photographs of loved
ones as they marched in Sri Lanka’s capital on Friday demanding that
authorities provide information about relatives who were reported
missing during the country’s civil war.
The vigil, marking International Day of the Disappeared, coincided with a
visit by United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay
to assess the government’s progress in investigating wartime abuses.
During the quarter-century civil war, which ended in 2009, an
undetermined number of suspected rebels, journalists and activists were
abducted by “white van squads” allegedly operated by pro-government
paramilitaries. Many were never seen again.
Relatives say they also don’t know the whereabouts of family members who surrendered to the army at the end of the war.
Pillay, who ends her weeklong visit on Saturday, is to report to the
U.N. Human Rights Council next month on the status of the investigation
into abuses allegedly committed by government troops and separatist
Tamil Tiger rebels, including abductions and forced disappearances.
Separately Friday, hundreds of people protested outside the country’s
U.N. office, urging Pillay to probe alleged atrocities by the rebels.
About 500 people from the Dead and Missing Person’s Parents Front
shouted slogans and held placards reading, “Ms. Pillay we are waiting 30
years for justice.”
The European Union, meanwhile, said it hopes that the
government-appointed committee investigating disappearances “will
approach its important and challenging task with determination and
independence” and observe international standards.
The EU delegation in the country said in a statement that it “encourages
Sri Lanka to draw on the support of international partners who may be
able to assist with this challenging task.”
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