The Chairperson and members of the board of the OMP are appointed by the President of Sri Lanka on the recommendations of the Constitutional Council. The Constitutional Council follows a selection process that includes the issuance of a public advertisement calling for suitable candidates to apply. The OMP Act requires that the Board reflect the pluralistic nature of Sri Lankan society, with prior experience in fact-finding or investigation, human rights law, international humanitarian law, humanitarian response, or possess other qualifications relevant to the discharge of functions of the OMP.
Mahesh Katulanda
Present Chairperson
Mr. Mahesh Katulanda holds a multi-disciplinary background such as legal, humanitarian intervention, management and research. In addition to chairmanship of OMP, He is currently appointed to the Board of LCBF from September 2021. He is a Senior Attorney-at-Law. Mr. Katulanda previously held many leadership roles including Director - Sri Lanka Insurance (General) Limited (2014), Director - Marine Environment Protection Authority (2012-2015), Board Member of the Post Graduate Institute of Science, University of Peradeniya (2010), Director - General of National Aquatic Resource Development Agency (NARA) (2010), Director - Water Resources Board (2002-2004), Member of the Committee appointed to probe into the matters pertaining to promotions and corruption in Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka (2003-2004) and Vice President of the Colombo Law Society (2019-2020). He is also an EXCO Member of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (2003-2004), (2012-2013), (2018-2020). He sworn in as an Attorney-at-Law of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka in December 1995. He was a Board member of the Post Graduate Institute of Science in 2010. Mr. Katulanda holds a LLM in Global Business Law from La-Trobe University, Australia. He is a consultant of the Viswa Law Office and several corporate establishments and involved in a variety of cases in the District Courts, High Courts, Superior Courts and other Civil Courts and Tribunals in all over the Country.
Dr. Ajith Tennakoon
Present Member of the board
Dr. Ajith Tennakoon is a highly accomplished individual with a distinguished career in the field of Forensic Medicine. He holds multiple qualifications including MD from the USSR, DLM, MD-For. Med. from Sri Lanka, DFM-RCPA from Australia, MFFLM-RCP from the UK, and FFCFM from RCPA. Dr. Tennakoon is recognized as a Specialist in Forensic Medicine and has served as a Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University in Sri Lanka. Prior to his academic role, Dr. Tennakoon held the position of Retired Chief Judicial Medical Officer at the Institute of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology in Colombo, Sri Lanka. He has also made significant contributions to the field by serving as the Past President of the College of Forensic Pathologists of Sri Lanka and the Medico Legal Society of Sri Lanka. Throughout his career, Dr. Ajith Tennakoon has demonstrated a commitment to excellence in forensic medicine and has played a key role in advancing the field in Sri Lanka. His expertise and leadership have left a lasting impact on the practice of forensic medicine in the country.
Mrs. Sithy Dane Arfa Thassim
Present Member of the board
Mrs. Sithy Dane Arfa Thassim nee Hassim served as a High Court Judge before she retired in 2015.She was the first female Lawyer to represent the bar at the Hambantota Courts and the first female Muslim Lawyer to the Southern Province (1979). She had an active practice in Criminal and Civil field for 12 yrs, after which she joined the Judicial Services as one of the first two Muslim female judges in 1991.She served as Magistrate, District Court Judge, High Court Judge and Civil Appellate High Court Judge in most of the Provinces including Western Province.Having joined the Legal Bar from an under developed rural area like Hambantota in the deep Southern Province, she opened up the pathway for the younger generation, especially females to enter into the legal profession.By joining Judiciary she acted as a role model to females and especially Muslims to step forward and serve the society, and contribute their services to their society and their country.While in Judicial Services, she was elected as President, Judicial Service Association and Vice President of HC Judges Association. She is the founder of the logo for Judges for Minor Judiciary and Higher Judiciary.During her tenure in the Judiciary, she had a reputation of concluding long pending cases and meting out justice to those that were in need of it. She always dreamt if serving her society, and goes to great lengths to ensure that her dream in this regard is fulfilled.
Mr Thambiaiah Yogarajah
Present Member of the board
Thambiaiah Yogarajah is currently serving as a member of the board of the office on Missing persons (OMP). He holds a Masters in Human Rights and Moral Ethics from the Victoria Global University of New Delhi, India. In the past, he served as a senior official of the Presidential Commission to Investigate into Complaints Regarding Missing Persons (PCICMP) which was appointed to investigate the complaints regarding missing persons. As a senior staff member Yogarajah served as a responsible person in establishing complaint management system, handling complaints submitted by complainants, interviewing complainants, consult officials, and recording testimonials, organize and facilitate public sittings and outreach programs, responding to queries addressed by complainants, and represent the organization at various forum include meeting with diplomates and donors. Mr. Yogarajah has extensive experience in administration services having served the government sector for a period of about 42 years including a senior level public service in various ministries and departments. He handled managerial matters, industrial disputes settlements, employees provident fund, termination of employment, payment of gratuity, wages boards ordinance, maternity benefits, employment of women, young persons and children and prosecution matters while he was working in the department of labour. He was also a recipient of the Best Officer title of the Northern Zone from the Department of Labour. He holds a Diploma in Computer Awareness Programme for Public Servants in the Executive Grades from, University of Colombo. He also followed Management Development course & Book keeping and Accounting course at Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration (SLIDA), and Numeric and Accounting course & People and Communication Course at Institute of Administrative Accounting and Data Processing. He also undertook Staff Upgrading Programme on Sound Industrial Relations from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and Effective Labour Administration from National Institute of Labour Studies (NILS).
Mr Jayantha Wikramasinghe
Present Member of the board
Mr Jayantha Wikramasinghe
Mr. Mirak Raheem
Present Member of the board
Mirak Raheem was appointed as a commissioner at the Office on Missing Persons for a second term in April 2025. He previously served as one of the founding commissioners from 2018-2021. Over the last decade he has focused on the issue of disappearances, with a specific interest in mass grave investigations, engaging in trainings and exposure visits to search institutions including the Missing Persons Task Team (South Africa), FAFG (Guatemala), CMP (Cyprus) and ICMP (the Netherlands).
He has over 20 years of working in the field of human rights and transitional justice both in the state and civil society. He was a member of the Consultation Task Force on Reconciliation Mechanisms in 2016, tasked to carry out island-wide consultations to ascertain the public’s views and recommendations on transitional justice. He served as the national consultant involved in drafting the National Policy on Durable Solutions for Conflict-Affected Displacement for the Ministry of Resettlement (2016). He has served on a number of boards of and as a staff member in a number of civil society institutions. He has also authored several publications on disappearances and mass grave investigations, internal displacement, human rights, peace building and transitional justice, including a guide to mass grave investigations for families of the missing and the disappeared.
Vadivel Krishnamoorthy
Present Member of the Board
Vadivel Krishnamoorthy was appointed as a Member of the Office on Missing Persons in April 2025. He is an Attorney-at-Law and a retired Sri Lanka Foreign Service Officer, with decades of experience in diplomacy, human rights, and diaspora engagement. He has served as Sri Lanka’s Ambassador and High Commissioner, and held senior leadership positions including Director General of the United Nations and Human Rights Division, Director General of the South Asia Division, and Director General of the Office for Overseas Sri Lankan Affairs.
Throughout his career, he has worked on advancing reconciliation, justice, and the protection of vulnerable Sri Lankans overseas. His experience includes providing support to children born to Sri Lankan refugees in India, extending assistance to migrant workers in the Middle East, and fostering dialogue with political leaders on sensitive post-conflict issues such as reconciliation and the Sri Lanka–India fisheries matter. He has also contributed to administrative reforms at Sri Lankan diplomatic missions and strengthened cultural, religious, and community ties with overseas Sri Lankans.
Fluent in Sinhala, Tamil, and English, he brings proven skills in building trust, leading diverse teams, and navigating complex diplomatic and political environments. At the OMP, he is dedicated to advancing truth-seeking and amplifying the voices of families of the missing.