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US Ambassador Julie Chung was on a visit to Jaffna, Mannar and Vavuniya last week where she met with the Tamil families of the disappeared, civil society activists and politicians to discuss the importance of justice, accountability and reconciliation in Sri Lanka.
In Mannar, Chung met with the Tamil families of the disappeared who have been campaigning to know the whereabouts of their forcibly disappeared relatives.
"Their stories, along with those I have heard from members of the families I have met in the north and east, and the south of Sri Lanka, demonstrate the heartbreak of those still searching for their missing relatives and still fighting for answers and justice, amidst many challenges. All families deserve to know the fate of their loved ones," Chung said on X.
Despite their longstanding protests, successive Sri Lankan governments have not addressed any of their demands. On Monday, Tamil families of the disappeared expressed their frustration over the lack of progress in investigating the disappearances of their relatives to officials from the Office of Missing Persons (OMP).
During her visit to the north, Chung also met with PLOTE leader Dharmalingam Siddarthan, ITAK leader elect Sivagnanam Shritharan, TNPF leader Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam and TNPF General Secretary Selvarajah Kajendren during her visit where they discussed the "importance of delivering the people's aspirations for change while ensuring that long-standing advocacy from minorities for a durable political situation and reconciliation remains a priority."
She met with civil society representatives in Jaffna and Mannar who "reiterated the importance of focusing on reconciliation measures, justice and accountability, combatting gender based violence, and uplifting livelihoods."
Chung's comments on justice, accountability and reconciliation come whilst the US continues to increase its ties with Sri Lanka's military who are accused of the most egregious human rights abuses. Sri Lanka's security forces played a direct role in the Tamil genocide at Mullivaikkal in 2009, where tens of thousands of Tamils were killed.
