Two SLRC workers were abducted and killed in June

Speaking to the media on Thursday, Chairman of the commission retired judge Mahanama Thilakaratne said, according to the evidence gathered by the commission, 430 people had been killed between September 2006 and February 2007.

He also said that some of the missing people had left their homes due to personel reasons. However a large majority of the missing and the dead are from the Tamil community.

Culture of impunity

The country came under increased international criticism over human rights violations and international human rights groups asked President Mahinda Rajapaksha to take the initiative to end the crisis by taking action against what they call "a culture of impunity".

Addressing a media gathering in Colombo, the chairman of the commission retired judge Mahanama Thilakaratne said “locally and internationally there has been a big issue of abductions, disappearances and unsolved killings in this country”.

Locally and internationally there has been a big issue of abductions, disappearances and unsolved killings in this country Judge Mahanama Thilakaratne

"This is something very bad for the image of Sri Lanka” he said.

The commission was appointed by President Rajapaksha to investigate a wave of killings and disappearances that has shaken the country.

Many of the dissappeared were later found dead. Many victims have been executed with their hands tied behind their backs and shot through the head.

Complicated cases

The chairman of the commission said “during the same September to February period, a total of 2,020 people were either abducted or disappeared”.

	Amnesty called President Rajapaksa to use his executive power to invite the UN monitors

“Some 1,134 were later found alive and reunited with their families but fate of the remainder is unknown”, Tillakaratne added.

"The cases are so complicated that even if you get Scotland Yard (detectives) you may not be able to solve them," he said.

In its latest report the International Crisis Group say, “If the government fails to address the growing human rights crisis, it will inevitably face international pressure for the introduction of an external monitoring mission, cuts in donor funding and possibly more severe sanctions”.