On 6 April 2012, Australian citizen Mr. Premakumar Gunaratnam and Ms. Dimithu Attygalle were disappeared.

Reports have detailed how Mr. Gunaratnam went missing on 6 April 2012. A party member recounted the last instance he saw the victim. He dropped off Mr. Gunaratnam at his temporary residence in No. 29/1 Gemunu Mawatha, Kiribathgoda (Gampaha district) around 5:00 p.m.

The victim specifically instructed to be picked up at his residence the following day. Upon entering Mr. Gunaratnam’s house the next day, the said party member saw pieces of evidence of forced entry wherein door locks were broken and the air was released in four tires of the victim’s vehicle. Witnesses recounted how around 4 to 5 armed men rushed to the house around 4:30 a.m. of 7 April 2012. Mr. Gunaratnam’s mobile phone cannot be contacted.

Another FSP leader, Ms. Attygalle, also disappeared on the said date. Another party leader narrated that the victim planned to return to her residence at 32/14/7, High level Road, Henawatte, Meegoda (Colombo district) after she was dropped off at the Kottawa bus stand in Colombo district. Reports confirmed that Ms. Attygalle did not reach her home on that day.

The work of Mr. Gunaratnam and Ms. Attygalle has been valuable to the formation of FSP which was scheduled to be launched on 9 April 2012. Since its formation, the FSP has been strongly campaigning against human rights violations specifically enforced disappearances, extra-judicial killings, illegal detention and continued militarization in Northern Sri Lanka.

Complaints were subsequently filed regarding the disappearance. Mr. Ajith Kumara, Member of Parliament filed the case of Mr. Gunaratnam (CIB I 105/19) and Ms. Attygalle (CIB 105/20) at the Colombo Police Headquarters on 7 April. Another complaint was filed by a family member of Mr. Gunaratnam under CIB 306/133 at Pilliyandala Police. An FSP party leader filed another complaint for Ms. Attygalle’s case under CIB I 11/135 at the Kottawa Police.

Both victims are political leaders of the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP). Their whereabouts cannot be established to date.