The Sri Lankan military unveiled the renovation of a memorial in Jaffna built for Sri Lankan army commander Denzil Kobbekaduwa, who is accused if overseeing a litany of human rights abuses as he oversaw military operations in the late 80’s and early 90’s.
The military held a ceremony to mark the announcement on Monday, calling Kobbekaduwa “one of the finest warriors ever produced by the Army”.
The memorial is one of several built by the Sri Lankan military across the Tamil homeland. A statue of the commander also stands in Vavuniya.
He was killed in August 1992 in Kayts, after the vehicle he was travelling in hit a landmine. A presidential commission carried out by the then Sri Lankan government speculated that senior military and political figures were involved in the assassination.
Kobbekaduwa is accused of orchestrating and overseeing several abuses, including the disappearance of hundreds of youth from Mandaitivu, Allaipaddy and Mankumban from August to September 1990, as the Sri Lankan military launched an offensive.
Earlier this year, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian Sritharan claimd that more than 100 victims of the infamous disappearance may remain buried in a mass grave on the islet of Mandaitivu.
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