President Mahinda Rajapaksa has extended the period of coverage of the Commission appointed to investigate cases of alleged disappearances of persons in the Northern and Eastern Provinces by seven years.
According to the Presidential Secretariat the decision has been taken by the President considering the many public complaints received by the Commission about persons gone missing before 1990.
Initially the commission was to investigate case of missing persons from 1990 to 2009.
The Extra Ordinary Gazette notification issued last night has also extended the warrant for the submission of the final report of the Commission to August 15, 2014. President Rajapaksa has issued this Gazette notification in accordance with provisions of Chapter 393, Section 4 of the Commission of Inquiry Act.