• Cites shortfall of forensic staffers 

The Office on Missing Persons (OMP) has rejected any interference by international organisations in its operations regarding cases of disappeared persons, stating that a request made to a UN office for forensic officers has yet to be addressed.

Speaking to The Daily Morning yesterday (30), OMP Chairperson Mahesh Katulanda said the institution had sent requests for forensic officers due to a shortfall in staff, and that other requests are also being made, but they remain unaddressed despite the UN having offered to conduct a needs assessment on the OMP.

“The UN has done a needs-related assessment for the OMP, yet they have not offered us a single volunteer. A few other organisations have also done needs assessments and have requested the UN to consider supporting us. Yet none of those requests have been considered to date. For the tenure I have been in the Office, which is four years, not a single nation or international organisation has offered us any sizeable or quantifiable support to this process. Yet various organisations come to us asking for reports,” he said.

He added that successive Governments have supported the operations of the OMP without interfering in its independence, and therefore the Office rejects any external interference in its operations.

When contacted by The Daily Morning yesterday, the UN head office in Colombo requested that the newspaper call back today (31), as the office was closing at 4 p.m.

Meanwhile, Justice Minister attorney Harshana Nanayakkara recently told Parliament that the Government is opposed to any international mechanisms to probe disappearances, stating that 2,764 persons had gone missing during the final stage of the war.

The OMP is currently engaged in efforts to determine the fate of disappeared civilians, including those referenced.