The Sri Lankan army has denied involvement in the recently unearthed grave in Mullaitivu arguing that there was an "an attempt to use these premature conclusions to support their claims for an international investigation which is not really necessary"
The Northern Province's Minister T. Raviharan of the TNA had said local residents believed many more graves existed in the area.
Speaking to the Reuters news agency, acting judicial medical officer Sinnaiyah Sivaruban said,
The Northern Province's Minister T. Raviharan of the TNA had said local residents believed many more graves existed in the area.
Speaking to the Reuters news agency, acting judicial medical officer Sinnaiyah Sivaruban said,
"We have found nine skeletons of mostly women with burn injuries,"In a statement made on Saturday, military spokesperson Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasooriya said,
"Three local people have said the bodies were dumped in this land on February 9, 2009, after they were killed in an army multi-barrel shell attack, and that there is another mass grave 200 meters from this. But we don't know the truth."
“Some interested parties are attempting to portrait this as evidence of an incident for which the government and security forces should be held responsible. There is no factual basis for such conclusions and we reject these false and misleading allegations,”The Army's denial comes as the Sri Lankan Police's spokesperson, SSP Ajith Rohana claimed today that the police had identified a 'witness' who would testify that the grave was dug by the LTTE.
“It is deplorable that such premature conclusions are drawn without allowing the investigations to proceed without hindrance. Such assertions are misleading the local public as well as the international community,”
“Obviously there is an attempt to use these premature conclusions to support their claims for an international investigation which is not really necessary as there are well established domestic processes to conduct proper investigations which are evident in this as well as in numerous other instances.”