The Government will issue a Certificate of Absence to the next of kin of persons who have gone missing owing to various reasons during the recent past, Parliament was informed today.
Home Affairs Minister Vajira Abeywardena said around 20,000 persons are reported missing during the past few years and the Cabinet had discussed issuing Certificates of Absence on their behalf so as to enable family members to get benefits such as pensions and monies from Widows and Orphans Fund etc.
He explained that death certificates could not be issued unless it can be verified that the missing persons are dead.
The Minister said this while speaking during the debate on Private Member motion presented by UNP Matara District MP Buddhika Pathirana. His motion sought an immediate investigations to be carried out to find out whether the persons who disappeared due to various reasons during the past period of about three decades of war in the North and East are still alive or not.
Chandani Kirinde
A Sri Lankan man was apprehended at Suvarnabhumi airport for attempting to smuggle wildlife out of the country after three ball pythons were found hidden in his underwear, the Bangkok post reported.
The UK government has unveiled a package of reforms to simplify imports from developing countries which allows for more garments manufactured in Sri Lanka to enter the UK tariff-free.
Read these and more on tomorrow’s edition of the Sunday Times
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