Around 1.06 lakh people 'missing after war in Sri Lanka'

Author of a book on the internal conflict in Sri Lanka involving its armed forces and rebel LTTE today said around 1.06 lakh persons were missing in LTTE-controlled areas after the war and the Sri Lankan government should explain this.

Having worked as a BBC correspondent in Sri Lanka from 2000 to 2004, Frances Harrison said she had accessed World Bank population data in this regard to substantiate her claim.

"The number may not include (LTTE) detainees or those who had left the country but the government has to explain (the dip in the population in Tamil-dominated areas)", she told reporters here today.

Harrison said she had accessed the World Bank data on population of Mullaitheevu, Kilinochi, Vavuniya and Mannaar in the island nation, which she said, revealed that 1.06 lakh persons were "missing" after the war.

Author of the book "Still Counting the Dead," which is set to be released in Tamil soon, said it was based on tales of survivors including a former rebel, a nurse, a nun and a teacher, among others.

Besides narrating the account of war by its survivors, the book also carried criticism against LTTE, she said.

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