Feb 25, Colombo: The Sri Lankan government under its National Plan of Action to implement the recommendations Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) prepares to conduct an island wide census on deaths and injuries to people and on damages to the properties during the three decades of ethnic conflict.

The Government Information Department said conducting the census is a measure recommended by the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC).

Accordingly, the census, to be conducted jointly by the Ministry of Public Administration and Home Affairs and the Department of Census and Statistics, will cover the conflict period from 1983 up to the end of war in May 2009.

The LLRC in its final report had recommended conducting a professionally designed household survey covering all affected families in all parts of the island to ascertain firsthand the scale and the circumstances of death and injuries to civilians as well as damage to property during the period of the conflict.

The LLRC has also recommended devising a centralized system of data collection at the national level, integrating all information with regard to missing persons.

A steering committee has been appointed under the Secretary to Ministry of Public Administration and Home Affairs to conduct the census and the committee has devised a centralized system of data collection as recommended by the LLRC, the Director General of Department of Census and Statistics has revealed.

The Director General has said that the scientifically designed census will help arrive at an exact decision on the persons missing and died during the period of conflict.

According to the official, one of the objectives of the census was to pay compensation to the affected families through Ministry of Rehabilitation and Prison Reforms

The government called on the general public to cooperate in conducting this Census by providing accurate information to the respective Grama Niladhari who will visit their houses in due course.