Forgotten Experiences of Up-country Tamil Women in Transitional Justice Despite ample research studies on economic, social, and cultural issues of Up-country Tamil women, as well as documentation of women’s experiences in the war, especially in the North and East, it is clear that there is inadequate research on the war-related experiences of Up-country Tamil women. This chapter attempts to bridge that gap. Up-country Tamil Women’s Experiences in Conflict “People think that these things happen only in the North and East. They do not know that there are Tamils living in Moneragala. They do not know people from here have also disappeared” – Malaiyaha Tamil participant, FGD on Disappearances, Buttala, Uva Province (CTFRM 2016, Vol. I: 177). The International Committee of the Red Cross (2016: i) defines a missing person as “a person whose whereabouts are unknown to his/her relatives and/or who, on the basis of reliable information, has been reported missing […] in connection with an international or non-international armed conflict, a situation of internal violence or disturbances”. Cases of disappearances have also happened among Up-country Tamils during and after the armed conflict in Sri Lanka. An exact number of missing persons among Up-country Tamils is not available, because an island-wide survey was never conducted to find the total number of cases and the Consultation Task Force Report does not provide the exact number of disappearances among Up-country Tamils. It is also important to note that not all the missing persons’ family members have made a complaint or given information to the authorities. Another factor is that the Up-country Tamils, especially those who 61

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