Special attention being paid to safety of death-row prisoner Somaratne: Office on Missing Persons
15-Aug-2026.
Representatives of the Office on Missing Persons (OMP) have said they are paying close attention to the safety of death-row prisoner Lance Corporal Somaratne Rajapaksa, who has indicated his willingness to provide evidence in connection with the Semmani mass grave.
The OMP representatives said they had already visited Somaratne Rajapaksa in prison. However, they said they could not disclose details of their discussions with him as the office has a responsibility to maintain confidentiality concerning complainants, witnesses and informants in sensitive cases.
Nevertheless, they stressed that they were paying close attention to his safety and had also discussed the matter with prison authorities.
A special media briefing was held at the Government Information Department in Colombo on August 13, ahead of the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, which will be observed on August 30. The briefing was held to explain the activities undertaken by the OMP in connection with the occasion and to provide an update on its current work.
OMP Chairman Mahesh Katulanda, Executive Director Jaganathan Tharparan and members Mirak Rahim and Thambiah Yogarajah participated in the briefing.
Among the key matters highlighted regarding the OMP’s work, progress and future activities were the following:
The Office on Missing Persons was established in 2018 under the Office on Missing Persons Act, No. 14 of 2016. Its primary objective is to establish what happened to persons who were subjected to enforced disappearances in the past and to ensure that such incidents do not recur in the future.
As part of this effort, the present government has allocated the necessary funds for the functioning of the OMP.
The President and the Minister of Justice have demonstrated interest and political commitment towards efforts to determine what happened to those subjected to enforced disappearances, the officials said.
Accordingly, commemorative events will be held in Jaffna in the North and Matara in the South on August 25 in view of the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances.
During the eight years since the establishment of the OMP, a total of 23,352 complaints concerning missing persons have been received. After excluding complaints relating to members of the police and armed forces, as well as duplicate complaints, 14,966 complaints remained. Preliminary investigations have been initiated into 9,072 of these complaints.
The OMP has so far established that 31 missing persons are alive. However, no further details can be disclosed in consideration of their privacy.
The office has also examined 7,726 complaints and recommended that the Office for Reparations provide an interim payment of Rs. 200,000 to the families concerned. Of these, payments have already been made to 5,427 families, while payments to the remaining families are expected to be made over the next few months.
Meanwhile, steps are being taken to recruit an additional 69 employees to the office, which had so far operated with a staff of 31. Of these, 41 have already been recruited.
Regarding mass graves identified across the country, the OMP is providing the necessary assistance to facilitate the relevant processes.
More than 500 human remains have currently been excavated from the Semmani mass grave. The Department of Archaeology is expected to submit a report by around September on whether the remains belong to the same period or different periods, and whether they were buried during a single incident or following separate incidents.
The OMP is also working closely with the relevant authorities regarding mass graves already identified, or alleged to exist, in Sampur, Colombo Port, Kokuthoduvai and Kurukkalmadam.
The OMP officials also confirmed that they had visited Lance Corporal Somaratne Rajapaksa, a death-row prisoner in the Krishanthi Kumaraswamy murder case, after he expressed his willingness to testify in an internal or international investigation into the Semmani mass grave.
However, they reiterated that they could not disclose details of their discussions with him due to their obligation to maintain the confidentiality of complainants, witnesses and informants in sensitive cases.
They stressed that they were paying close attention to his safety and had discussed the matter with prison authorities.
