The Ministry of Justice is seeking a sum of Rs. 375 million to establish 25 three-person panels to open inquiries on 10,531 files of missing persons from the period prior to 2000.
These panels being established are to operate under the Office on Missing Persons (OMP) for files that had not been investigated before.
Minister of Justice Harshana Nanayakkara revealed these plans during an event organised by the OMP commemorating the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances held on Friday (29) at Temple Trees.
“I have tendered a Cabinet paper asking for Rs. 375 million to establish 25 panels with three members per panel to investigate these cases.”
When asked about the focus on cases prior to 2000, a well-placed source at the OMP clarified that the cases after 2000 had been prioritised during the OMP investigations of 2022–2025.
The total amount requested has been calculated based on an estimated duration of 45 minutes to one hour per inquiry. The Minister said that the President had indicated that the request would be approved as it was currently under the observations of the Ministry of Finance.
“These investigations will hopefully start by November,” the Minister said, adding that the ministry and OMP had already begun the groundwork. He noted that no action could be taken without investigations.
Members of families of victims of disappearances who attended the commemorative event expressed their frustration in having to wait to learn about their loved ones.
Mariya Helena Dias, who attended the event, questioned how many such institutions would have to be established until she would be told the truth about what had happened to her husband who disappeared.
“I have been waiting for my husband’s return for 35 years, but I have not received justice. I want to ask, how many more OMPs must be established until we are finally given justice?”
Commenting further on the process of justice, the Minister said that the Government planned to “resolve” this matter before the end of its term: “We do not want this issue to go into our next Government.”
According to OMP Executive Director Dr. J. Thatparan, when the OMP was established in 2016, all cases from previous records had been transferred to the OMP, numbering 39,417.
After the clearing out of duplications, as of August 2025, a total of 16,966 cases remain. Out of these cases, 6,449 have been subject to preliminary inquiries.
The Tracing Unit has traced 22 cases where 15 persons had been identified to be alive in Sri Lanka, five living abroad, and two to be deceased.
There are currently 36 employees at the OMP and a recruitment of 96 more personnel is due to take place within the next six months.
The OMP received a sum of Rs. 115 million as the budget allocation for 2023, out of which Rs. 86 million had been utilised as per the OMP Annual Report of 2023.