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Photojournalism: Sri Lanka's Missing

 

The ten year anniversary of the end of the Sri Lankan civil war passed on May 18, 2019, meanwhile, former fighters, children and civilians who disappeared during the 26-year civil war are still missing. According to Amnesty International, Sri Lanka has one of the world’s highest number of disappearances, with a backlog of between 60,000 and 100,000 alleged disappearances since the late 1980s. 

For Getty Images 

  • Women pose for a photo at a protest site for loved ones of the disappeared in Mullaitivu, Sri Lanka
  • Photos, documents and police complaints related to the disappearance of Mariyathas Mariyasures IN Mullaitivu, Sri Lanka. Eswarys husband, Mariyathas Mariyasures, has been missing since he was arrested by the military as he was fishing on the last day of the war, May 18 2009. In the years since, Eswary has not stopped looking for him. She says that shes been to the ICRC so many times that they told her to stop coming. She regularly goes around to the military camps asking about him, but they she says they threaten to shoot or assault her. {quote}100 percent I believe he is still alive and in police custody.{quote} She says there have been sightings of him over the years. {quote}I am suffering so much. I have 3 children and work 3 jobs to try to support them. I have to prove myself to them, I have to be strong for them. Every day I wait for him to return and walk through our gate. {quote}
  • Arumugam Antonyka holds a photo of her daughter, Diana Arumugam in Mullaitivu, Sri Lanka. Arumugam Antonykas daughter, Diana Arumugam, has been missing since 2010. They were living together in a refugee camp with her 3 kids. Diana called her as she was traveling on the bus back from work to say that she was coming home, but she never returned. {quote}Every day I pray that she comes back home. I'm sure she's alive.{quote}
  • Arumugam Antonyka stands in her home in Mullaitivu, Sri Lanka. Arumugam Antonykas daughter, Diana Arumugam, has been missing since 2010. They were living together in a refugee camp with her 3 kids. Diana called her as she was traveling on the bus back from work to say that she was coming home, but she never returned. {quote}Every day I pray that she comes back home. I'm sure she's alive.{quote}
  • Photos and documents related to the disappearance of Sujeekaran are seen in Mullaitivu, Sri Lanka. Ranchana Pirapakarado has been missing her son, Sujeekaran, since May 23, 2009 when they got separated at a government checkpoint while being transferred from a refugee camp. Afterwards, she searched all the 23 refugee camps across the country and military bases and couldn't find him. In 2014 she got a call from the Terrorist Information Camp who said her son was in Colombo. She answered his questions on the promise that her son would be freed but he never was. 
  • Thangavel Sathiyathek holds a photo of her son, Magalingam Sivagini and his family at a protest site for loved ones of the disappeared in Mullaitivu, Sri Lanka. Thangavel Sathiyathek is missing her son, Magalingam Sivagini and his family. On the 18 May 2009 it was ordered that all LTTE should surrender. Thangavel went with her son and his family to the military camp to surrender. The military took him, his wife and their 3 children and she hasn't heard from them since. When she went to inquire about them at a military camp 3 days later she was arrested and held for 1 month. A few years ago she paid 400,000 rupees to someone who called her and promised if she paid money he would be released, but he never was. Sivagini was a politician in LTTE and his wife worked as a lawyer in the LTTE courts. {quote}I understand why they might want to hold adults by why would they keep the children? The youngest was only 2 1/2 years old. It's been 10 years, why are they keeping them? The government says everything is safe here in Sri Lanka and there are no problems, why can't they release them? Why would they keep them?{quote} Thangavel says.
  • Ranchana Pirapakarado holds a photo of her of her son, Sujeekaran in Mullaitivu, Sri Lanka. Ranchana Pirapakarado has been missing her son, Sujeekaran, since May 23, 2009 when they got separated at a government checkpoint while being transferred from a refugee camp. Afterwards, she searched all the 23 refugee camps across the country and military bases and couldn't find him. In 2014 she got a call from the Terrorist Information Camp who said her son was in Colombo. She answered his questions on the promise that her son would be freed but he never was.
  • Ranchana Pirapakarado watches TV at her home in Mullaitivu, Sri Lanka. Ranchana Pirapakarado has been missing her son, Sujeekaran, since May 23, 2009 when they got separated at a government checkpoint while being transferred from a refugee camp. Afterwards, she searched all the 23 refugee camps across the country and military bases and couldn't find him. In 2014 she got a call from the Terrorist Information Camp who said her son was in Colombo. She answered his questions on the promise that her son would be freed but he never was. S
  • Thagbsiwaran Sivaganawathy cries while discussing the disappearance of her daughter, Thageswaran Susanya, at a protest site for loved ones of the disappeared in Mullaitivu, Sri Lanka. Thagbsiwaran Sivaganawathys daughter, Thageswaran Susanya, has been missing since March 14 2009. They were at their home when military surrounded the village and bombs were dropped from airplanes. They all fled and in the chaos got separated, and Sivaganawathy hasnt seen her daughter since. Sivaganawathys husband is so depressed he cant work or leave the house sometimes. She has searched all over and filed complaints with the ICRC and police, but hasn't found any news. She comes to this protest site 3 times a week demanding for the release of her daughter.
  • Patmanathan Kokilavani holds a photo of her two children at a protest site for loved ones of the disappeared in Mullaitivu, Sri Lanka. Patmanathan Kokilavani is missing her two children, Patmanthan Piratheepan and Patmanathan Tharsika. They were separated in a chaos of a bombing May 17 2009. She was detained in a refugee camp after the attack and was released September 2009, and then checked everywhere for them. She got confirmation that they were at one military camp but was denied access to see them. In 2016 a person from the military came to her home and told her that they were going to be released, but it didn't happen. {quote}Just show me my son and daughter once. You can keep them but just let me see them once and give me some peace. I'm spending all my money to find them, I can't sleep, I'm crying every day. I have no strength left. Keep them but please just show me their faces once time.{quote} 
  • Lelladevi Anadanadarajah holds a photo of son, Anuraj  Anadanadarajah in Kilinochchi, Sri Lanka. Lelladevi Anadanadarajahs son, Anuraj  Anadanadarajah, has been missing since May 15, 2009. He was passing a police checkpoint on the road and was taken into custody, and she has not heard from him since. Anuraj's wife was 7 months pregnant at the time with their second child. Lelladevi has filed complaints with several agencies and met the Sri Lankan president, but hasn't heard news. {quote}We want justice for our kids. There are still so many in detention camps. They're using them as slaves, they're working them and torturing them to death. This is my fear. Only the international community can help us now. There are kids who were so small when their parents were taken, they're growing up now without their moms or dads and they may want to take revenge and join these groups. They have to release these people or give us the truth. They have to give us justice.{quote} 
  • Lelladevi Anadanadarajah cares for one of her grandchildren in Kilinochchi, Sri Lanka. Lelladevi Anadanadarajahs son, Anuraj  Anadanadarajah, has been missing since May 15, 2009. He was passing a police checkpoint on the road and was taken into custody, and she has not heard from him since. Anuraj's wife was 7 months pregnant at the time with their second child. Lelladevi has filed complaints with several agencies and met the Sri Lankan president, but hasn't heard news. {quote}We want justice for our kids. There are still so many in detention camps. They're using them as slaves, they're working them and torturing them to death. This is my fear. Only the international community can help us now. There are kids who were so small when their parents were taken, they're growing up now without their moms or dads and they may want to take revenge and join these groups. They have to release these people or give us the truth. They have to give us justice.{quote} 
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