The Chief Minister of Sri Lanka’s Northern Province on Sunday asked the visiting top UN human rights official to help determine the fate of more than 4,000 civilians reported missing in the country’s long civil war.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, during his visit to the North, held a meeting with Chief Minister C V Wigneswaran.
Wigneswaran said he gave Zeid a list of the more than 4,000 people reported missing, with dates and places where they were seen last.
During his meeting with Wigneswaran in Jaffna, the issue on political prisoners was discussed.
Wigneswaran said Zeid opposed the suggestion of negotiating an amnesty for Tamil rebel suspects detained for years without trial. Zeid said releasing innocents through a quick and proper legal process would be the best course of action.
Wigneswaran later said Hussein’s visit to the North has given some hope for the political prisoners.
