NewsThe passage of the Office of Missing Persons bill (OMP), albeit in controversial circumstances in Parliament, augers well for the forward movement of the reconciliation process, the National Peace Council (NPC) said. "The NPC welcomes the new law, and the legal foundation of the first of the four transitional justice mechanisms that the government has pledged to establish. We are disappointed that the Joint Opposition members failed to cooperate with the parliamentary process, and refused to debate the new law according to the agreed schedule in parliament. Noting that the OMP is a very important element of the country’s transitional justice process and the set of institutions and measures outlined the government, the independent and non partisan organization said that it is only one part of the process of transitional justice. We call on the government, opposition and society at large to cooperate in the implementation of the OMP and the setting up of the other transitional justice mechanisms so that the past does not stand in the way of Sri Lanka’s future as a just, peaceful and developed society.

Source: Sunday Times August 15, 2016 16:30 UTC