Missing Persons Comm: enlarged:

Two addl Commissioners, bigger investigation team

Two additional commissioners will be included to the Presidential Commission probing disappearances in Sri Lanka, to help clear the thousands of complaints and complete the final report by the stipulatet deadline.

Missing Persons Commission Chairman retired Justice Maxwell Paranagama told the Sunday Observer that President Maithripala Sirisena is expected to appoint a retired judge and a retired senior officer from the administrative service within this week.

A five-member investigation team of retired police officers will also be appointed to the Commission along with the two commissioners. The Commission, which began sittings in 2013, has so far received a total of over 21,000 complaints of missing persons including 5000 complaints from the families of the security forces personnel.

The Commission is expected to present its final report before September, in time for the UN Human Rights Council Sessions, fulfilling a pledge given by Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera to the UN Human Rights High Commissioner Prince Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, seeking a deferral of a war crimes reporton Sri Lanka last March.