Concern for Missing Christians in Sri Lanka

There is growing international concern for a Sri Lankan pastor, his two sons and another man who have been reported missing in Negombo, north of the capital Colombo, Sri Lanka since 2 March 2007.

Pastor Victor Emmanuel Yogarajan, who runs the Gospel Missionary Church in Vavuniya, a northern district 300km from Colombo, was in the capital with his sons, Daniel aged 22 and David aged 20, and Joseph Sugandakumar, aged 20.

They were last heard from on the night of March 1, when Pastor Yogarajan spoke to his wife on the telephone. They have not been seen since. Pastor Yogarajan's family have reported his disappearance to the police in Vavuniya.

This case comes as Sri Lanka experiences an alarming rise in disappearances and extra-judicial killings. According to the Asian Human Rights Commission, disappearances occur every five hours in Sri Lanka. The Civil Monitoring Committee on Extrajudicial Killings and Disappearances said on March 4 that they have received 100 complaints of disappearances from Colombo and other areas this year alone.

Mervyn Thomas, Chief Executive of Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) says: "We are extremely concerned for Pastor Yogarajan and his family, and for Joseph Sugandakumar. We do not know whether their disappearance is religiously or politically motivated, but we urge the Sri Lankan authorities to do everything possible to try to find them and help them return to their families."