BEIRUT, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) -- Families of the Lebanese who disappeared in the civil war held a sit-in on Thursday in downtown Beirut, calling upon the authorities to establish a national commission to find these missing people, the National News Agency (NNA) reported.
An estimated 17,000 Lebanese people, including civilians and soldiers, went missing during the 15-year civil war starting in 1975.
"We have not been capable of reaching any concrete results in pursuit of our cause," said the protesters.
The draft law prepared for the establishment of the commission was already sent to the parliament pending approval, NNA said.
Lebanese President Michel Aoun suggested in April that a national database be established to include all missing persons and their information to raise public awareness.
Also in April, a campaign, titled "the list of disappeared in all of Lebanon," was announced to push for a law demanding the establishment of an independent national body to reveal the fate of the missing in the civil war.
