The Office on Missing Persons (OMP) is launching a series of regional-level consultations,commencing in Mannar on Saturday, 12th May 2018. The consultations are a vital step in the process to operationalise the functions of the OMP in its search for missing and disappeared persons.
Consultations will be held with the families of missing and disapp6ared persons, activists, professionals and organisations working on the issue. In the coming weeks, the OMP will visit Matara, Trincomalee, Mulaitivu, Kandy, Kilinochchi, jaffna, Batticaloa and Ampara in a first phase of visits. The purpose of these meetings will be to share the OMP’s organisational plan and strategies , as they currently stand, in order to hear public views and incorporate suggestions on measures and processes. The plans thus far attempt to build on the lessons learned and recommendations from previous commissions and the Consultation Task Force or Reconciliation Mechanisms process.
The OMP understands the urgency and frustration of the families and individuals who have been searching for their loved ones over a number of years, but respectfully requests their patienee to ensure vital processes are put in place in order to ensure an effective response and to avoid, ad hoc measrtres. These consultations mark the start of the outreach process of the OMP and are a positive indication that the search for missing and disappeared persons is underway.
Sudarshana Gunawardana
Attorney at Law
Director General of Government Information