Sri Lanka war commission receives hundreds of new complaints

Colombo, July 10 (IANS) A special commission set up to investigate thousands of missing people during Sri Lanka's three-decade civil war has received nearly 400 new complaints during hearings in the former war-torn areas, an official said here Thursday.

In February, Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa extended the mandate issued to the special commission tasked with investigating thousands of people who disappeared during the country's brutal three decade war that ended in 2009.

President Rajapaksa appointed a special presidential commission to probe people who went missing during the war ahead of an official visit by UN Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay in 2013.

As many as 16,000 applications have been received by the commission from the families of people who disappeared during the war. This motivated President Rajapaksa to increase the timeline for the completion of the hearings and investigations by six months.

The three-member commission is mandated to inquire into and report on alleged abductions or disappearances during the period June 10, 1990, to May 19, 2009.

Chairman of the commission Maxwell Paranagama said that its had received 397 new complaints during sittings held in Mullaitivu district in the Northern Province that saw some of the worst fighting, Xinhua reported.

"The fifth round of sittings was concluded last weekend. These complaints will now be investigated and then forwarded to the attorney general for further examination," Paranagama told reporters.

The commission's work continues as the Sri Lankan government faces a UN investigation into allegations of rights abuses including war crimes during the last seven years of conflict.

The Sri Lankan government has rejected the probe and insisted domestic mechanisms such as the commission on missing persons will help in reconciliation of the people.