Certificates of Absence for missing persons

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