Sri Lanka government consulted us on OMP bill: TNA

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA), a coalition of four Tamil parties, on Friday acknowledged that the Sri Lanka government had consulted the alliance during the preparation of the draft bill on the Office on Missing Persons (OMP), which had been tabled in Parliament. Lauding the government’s “constructive engagement” on the bill, the alliance said in a statement: “We are pleased that several of the extensive

revisions we urged have been included in the gazetted text.” It was hopeful of moving further amendments to the bill at the time of consideration of the legislation. “A law on the lines contemplated by the Bill, if implemented sincerely, could bring relief to families of the forcibly disappeared who are in desperate need of answers” the TNA said.

UNHRC resolution

At the same time, the coalition reiterated the importance of the full implementation of operative paragraphs in the resolution adopted by the United Nations Human Rights Council in October last year with regard to the participation of Commonwealth and other foreign jurists in the proposed Sri Lankan judicial mechanism, and legal reforms to allow trial and punishment of those allegedly responsible for violations and abuses of human rights.

National question

The Alliance also underscored that an “acceptable resolution to the national question through adequate constitutional arrangements is fundamental to the process of genuine and effective reconciliation and to the attainment of justice with equality and permanent peace” by people in Sri Lanka. The TNA added that the oral update presented by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights “captures accurately” the opportunities and challenges for reconciliation and accountability in the country.