Commission to expedite hearings before August

by Manjula Fernando

The three members of the Commission of Inquiry probing disappearances will sit separately from next week to expedite the hearings, with seemingly a final extension granted by the Government till August this year to wrap up the whole process.

The Commission headed by retired Supreme Court judge Maxwell Parakrama Paranagama comprises retired judges Priyanthi Suranjana Vidyaratne and Mano Ramanathan.

"We are trying our best to conclude the hearings before the deadline, the three Commissioners are going to sit separately in the future and hear the cases," Justice Paranagama told the Sunday Observer.

The next sittings of the Commission will be held in Trincomlee where over 250 oral submissions have been listed. The Commissioners left for Trincomalee on Saturday to prepare for hearings scheduled for Monday and Tuesday.

According to their mandate, this Commission is required to name the cases which needs further inquiry and make recommendations for redress to others.

Over 19,000 applications of cases of dissapearances have been received by the Commission since its appointment in August 2013 with 5600 of them from relatives of missing security forces personnel.

Hearings on 2000 cases have been completed so far. Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa widened the scope of the Commission in July last year to facilitate them to cover cases that involve international human rights and humanitarian laws subsequent to a request by the Commissioners.

Three international legal experts were appointed to seek their advice on the international law.