“Implement NE disappearance commission recommendations” - TNA
[TamilNet, Monday, 01 December 2003, 18:10 GMT]
Mr.R.Sampanthan of the Tamil National Alliance, participating in the committee stage debate on the votes of the 2004 budget Monday, urged the United National Front government to implement the final report of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the Involuntary Removal or Disappearance of Persons in the Northern and Eastern provinces.
“The government should honestly implement the recommendations made by the Presidential Commission of Inquiry in regard to payment of compensation and other reliefs to the victims,” stressed Mr. Sampanthan, who is the TNA parliamentary group leader.
Mr.Sampanthan said that this is the opportune moment to implement the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry, which would cushion the blow suffered by the victims.
Mr.Sampanthan said that a special committee should be appointed by the government to study the report of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry and to implement its recommendations immediately. Otherwise people would lose confidence on commissions and their recommendations, Mr.Sampanthan stressed.
The Commission of Inquiry, which was appointed by the President in 1994, held several public sittings in north and east provinces and recordered evidence of the victims.
The Commission had been asked to conduct inquiry into the involuntarily removal or disappearance of persons in the northern and eastern provinces at any time after 1st January 1988. Thereafter the Commission submitted its final report in 1997 to the President.
Some of the recommendations made by the Presidential Commission are given below: -
“Money in any quantity will not compensate the absence of the breadwinner, the love of the father, the duty of the son for the family. But money helps in some way to cushion the blow.
“ In addition to compensation certain other measures have to be taken to help these families whose bread-winners are removed from them.
“We recommend at least one person in such families who has the minimum qualifications be given employment either in the State sector or in the private sector. Where people do not possess minimum qualifications they should be given vocational training at State expense to ensure that one person in the family is employable.”