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SEOUL, Nov. 3 (Yonhap) -- A special bill agreed on between the rival parties over the weekend on April's ferry disaster is still not enough but should be the starting point for unearthing the truth behind the tragedy that killed over 300 people, religious groups said Monday.
The 6,825-ton ferry Sewol sank off the country's southwest coast on April 16 due to what prosecutors believe was a combination of cargo overloading, excessive remodeling of the ship and poor steering.
After months of wrangling, the ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy agreed on Oct. 31 on the terms of a bill calling for an independent probe into the incident.
As the families have practically accepted the bill under which the committee will be chaired by a figure to be recommended by them and remain active for up to eight months, the bill is expected to be passed through the National Assembly by Friday, nearly 200 days after the deadly ferry sinking.
"The special bill prepared as late as 200 days after the tragedy is insufficient and has many limitations but should be the starting point of unveiling truth," a labor committee of the Jogye Order, South Korea's largest Buddhist sect, said in a press release.
"We need to clearly unveil the exact cause of the incident, including why the Sewol ferry made a sharp turn and thoroughly investigate how the Coast Guard, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, and the Navy could not save any single life locked inside the ship," the committee said.
Also to be examined is whether the national anti-disaster system worked properly at that time, it added.
The Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea also issued a statement, saying that efforts to unveil the truth behind the incident have just begun with the agreement. However, it said the agreed-upon bill is still not enough to fully investigate the case and punish those responsible.
As to the problems of the bill, the group cited the committee's short period of activities and failure to win power to investigate and indict those responsible for the tragedy.
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