31 August, 2007 - Published 13:43 GMT

Over 5000 'disappeared' in Sri Lanka

United Nations are currently reviewing over 5000 enforced disappearances during the last few years in Sri Lanka, an international rights watchdog said.

In a statement issued to mark International Day for the Disappeared, Amnesty International (AI) says United Nations Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) is reviewing more than 5700 unresolved cases.

Hundreds of people have disappeared nationwide in 2007, the AI reported quoting figures from National Human Rights Commission.

'No investigations'

The AI has "documented a worrying increase in enforced disappearances in Sri Lanka in recent months, with at least 21 people reportedly disappeared in August in Jaffna district alone," the statement said.

At least 1000 incidents of enforced disappearance were recorded in 2006, AI said, adding that only an "extremely small proportion" of these violations are investigated or have resulted in convicting perpetrators.

Sri Lanka security forces are implicated in many of the enforced disappearance, according to the human rights watchdog.

The Tamil Tigers and the Karuna group are also accused of unlawful killings, abductions and enforced disappearance.