Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) General Secretary M. A. Sumanthiran has condemned the actions of police during a recent confrontation with families of the forcibly disappeared in Jaffna, as well as the conduct of government ministers who were present during the incident.

In a post on X, Sumanthiran, said they strongly condemned the brutal ways in which police had manhandled relatives and mothers of forcibly disappeared persons at the Jaffna District Secretariat.

The confrontation took place when families of the disappeared gathered outside the Secretariat as the Office on Missing Persons (OMP) held an event marking the upcoming International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances. The families, organised through the Association of the Relatives of the Enforced Disappeared in the North and East, were protesting the OMP’s record and its promotion of domestic mechanisms which they say have failed to provide answers about their missing relatives.

Tensions escalated when the protesters attempted to display a banner outside the Secretariat. Police prevented them from opening it and forcibly dragged the banner away, while access to the building was restricted and members of the public were prevented from entering.

The OMP event inside the Secretariat was attended by Justice and National Integration Minister Harshana Nanayakkara, Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources Minister and Jaffna District Coordinating Committee chairman Ramalingam Chandrasekar, Northern Province Governor Nagalingam Vedanayagan, several National People’s Power parliamentarians and OMP chairman Mahesh Katulanda.

Sumanthiran also criticised Harshana Nanayakkara, saying the justice minister was “gleefully watching” the confrontation through his mobile phone from inside the building. The minister was seen watching the protest through Facebook while the demonstration was taking place outside. However, he did not meet the protesting families.

The ITAK general secretary condemned minister Chandrasekar, accusing the minister of publicly cursing journalists who reported on the confrontation. Chandrasekar had indirectly threatened journalists covering the incident and told them not to “play with innocent people”.

The families have rejected compensation and death certificates offered through the OMP, maintaining that such measures cannot substitute for establishing what happened to their missing relatives. Many of those campaigning have spent more than a decade seeking answers about relatives who were among those handed over to Sri Lankan security forces at the end of the armed conflict in 2009.

Despite repeated engagement with Sri Lanka’s domestic mechanisms, including the OMP, the families continue to demand information on the fate of their loved ones.

Ambassador of Japan to Sri Lanka Akio Isomata, on 2 Sept attended the handover ceremony for eight (8) environmentally-friendly large low-floor buses, held in the presence of Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development Bimal Rathnayake.

The Japanese embassy said that this project is being implemented under the Government of Japan’s Grant Assistance for Grass-Roots Human Security Projects (GGP) with a total grant amount of USD 362,476 (approx. Rs. 112 million). At the request of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Japan’s contribution for the provision of large low-floor buses seeks to establish an operational system for public buses in Colombo that enables transport-disadvantaged persons to board and alight safely, thereby contributing to expanding independent mobility opportunities for residents, including the elderly and persons with disabilities. The buses are completely refurbished used vehicles that comply with Euro 4 emission standards, and their environmentally friendly features will also contribute to Sri Lanka’s “Clean Sri Lanka” initiative. The buses have been donated by the City of Yokohama.

Ambassador Isomata said in his remarks, “the fleet of buses provided this time is modest in numbers, but I am confident that the project will serve as a model case for future low-floor bus deployment and operations throughout Sri Lanka, by demonstrating how durability, accessibility, safety, comfort, and environmental sustainability can be integrated into the public transportation system.” He stated, “Japan remains committed to supporting Sri Lanka’s efforts toward inclusive, reliable, and sustainable urban mobility. May these buses carry not only passengers, but also our shared aspirations for a more accessible and cleaner future.”

Ms Sajeewani Dilka Lakmali Karunannayake was sworn in as a Judge of the Court of Appeal before President Anura Kumara Dissanayake at the Presidential Secretariat this afternoon (03).

She previously served as an Additional Solicitor General at the Attorney General’s Department.

The appointment has been made to fill a vacancy on the Court of Appeal.

Secretary to the President Dr Nandika Sanath Kumanayake was also present on the occasion.

(President’s Media Division)