Families of disappeared lose out on relief payments

NEARLY Rs. 1 billion earmarked for families of the disappeared in the Government's Budget for 2025 have not been paid, with risk of the cash being returned to the Treasury.

- By Sarasi WIJERATNE

Around 5,000 families would have benefitted from a temporary allowance, had the payment been made. The Government in 2022 allocated Rs. 200,000 to each family.

“The Office on Missing Persons (OMP) has to get Cabinet approval to carry out enquiries which will confirm families eligibility to receive the allowance before it is paid” said Families of the Disappeared Convenor Brito Fernando. “It was only in October of last year that the OMP got Cabinet approval for this, leaving it with hardly any time to conduct enquiries.”

According to the Office of Reparations, which makes the payment to the families on the recommendation of the OMB, it received 563 recommendations last year, but Fernando claims these are from previous years.’We also know that the Justice Ministry did not want to touch the money as they thought it was compensation money for others like ex-MPs who were affected by the Aragalaya.”

In addition to delayed Cabinet approval, the work of the OMP is hamstrung further because of staffing issues. The OMP needs a cadre of 250 for its work but it had only 29 last year. Although the Government has approved an increase in number to 69, recruitment to fill the vacancies is still pending.