PCICMP resumes public sittings amidst protests against domestic commissions

[TamilNet, Saturday, 27 June 2015, 19:21 GMT]
Rajapaksa-appointed and Maithiripala-extended ‘Presidential Commission to Investigate into Complaints regarding Missing Persons’ (PCICMP) resumed its public sittings on Saturday at Moothoor Divisional Secretariat in the Trincomalee district. Around 300 relatives of the missing people and civil activists protested outside the venue, while 159 people who had been invited by the PCICMP for hearings took part in the sittings. The protesters were demanding international investigations. Even those who attended the sittings had no trust in the commission, said Mannaar Citizens' Committee vice chairman A. Sagayam. His committee had urged the people to take part in the sittings.

“The Tamil victims say they can only trust international investigations,” Mr Sagayam told TamilNet after witnessing the proceedings.

Almost all the Tamils, who appeared for the hearings witnessed against the Sri Lankan military, he said adding that some Muslims and Sinhalese were present there with the intention of witnessing against the LTTE.

However, there were Tamil-speaking Muslims, who also expressed solidarity with the Tamil protesters from Champoor outside the venue.

In the meantime, those among the uprooted Tamil families in Champoor, who are searching for their loved ones, blamed that the PCICMP had failed to trace even one of the hundreds of missing persons in Champoor.

TamilNet
[Tamil] Uprooted Tamil woman from Champoor on the plight of families of missing persons

 ஒலி உரைகளுக்கு மூலம் காண்க

Ms Chandrakala Mathiyalakan from Champoor, who is residing at Kaddaipa'richchaan refugee camp for 10 years, has been searching for four of her family members who were reported missing on their way to Verukal to Champoor. She took part in the protest demanding international investigations.

Chandrakala said she had lost all hopes in the local commissions. “But, when we have no choice, what are we supposed to do,” she asked.

On Saturday, she was taking part in the protest. On Sunday, she would also be handing over the details once again to the PCICMP even though she had no trust in the commission, Chandrakala said.

Recently, representatives of citizens committees and religious leaders were invited to Colombo by certain ‘human rights defenders’. These ‘defenders’ who were earlier active in Geneva are now in favour of PCICMP, informed Tamil human rights activists said.

Mr R. Sampanthan of the Tamil National Alliance, who is the only Tamil member claiming to represent the TNA in the ‘National Executive Council’ with the ruling regime, has also been instructing the TNA politicians in Trincomalee to promote Tamils participation in the public sittings of the PCICMP, the activists further said.