The Hon. Shanakiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Speaker, thank you, Hon. Prime Minister, for your Answer. However, almost 20 per cent of your mandate period is already over. After a year, you inform the House that you will pursue a domestic mechanism and oppose international intervention because it would polarize communities. I disagree. For genuine reconciliation, the victim community must have a process they believe and trust. You have refused that. As a representative of the victim community, I express disappointment. We had hoped this Government would agree to an international mechanism. We reject your proposal and call for an international investigation because we have no faith in Government mechanisms; that has been our position for 16 years since the end of the war.

¶ 02 You cite domestic mechanisms. How can you say that will work when even the Office on Missing Persons (OMP) lacks cadre? The required cadre is over 250; after a year in office, it remains 29. At ONUR, which should have a cadre of 59, there are only 13 staff. As of 30 June, of the Rs. 129 million allocated, only Rs. 36 million had been spent. How will you address this? We do not agree with this mechanism. With the TRC and other entities, are we to continue indefinitely seeking long overdue justice?