Below is the English translation of the editorial published on 2 October 2025 in the Jaffna-based Tamil daily Kaalai Murasu.
Sri Lanka acts like a well-behaved child whenever the war crimes, crimes against humanity, human rights violations, and genocidal acts alleged to have been committed during the final stages of the armed conflict are discussed at the United Nations Human Rights Council. Once the session concludes, all the pledges given there disappear into thin air. This is the usual spectacle.
Once again, as the current resolution on Sri Lanka is about to expire, a new one pressing Sri Lanka has been tabled. If that is not enough, the Chemmani mass grave issue has taken on epic proportions.
Sri Lanka claims in international forums, including institutions at the UN, that it will not hesitate to seek international assistance and cooperation for the excavations and for identifying the hundreds of human skeletal remains. But in practice, the government’s tendency to hoodwink is becoming increasingly plain.
Here in Jaffna, the case concerning the Chemmani mass grave has been postponed due to the government’s failure to allocate funds for the next phase of excavation. The case was heard yesterday before Jaffna Judge S. Lenin Kumar. For now, since no judicial directives have been received regarding the next phase of the Chemmani excavation work, the judge ordered the case be delayed until the 13th of this month. Any decision to resume the work will be made once further funding has been secured.
The monsoon season may hit Northern Sri Lanka at any time. Excavations cannot be carried out if the rains become heavy. That would mean the work could only resume after the rains pass — most likely around the Thai Pongal celebrations in January.
At this time of year, postponing the mass grave excavation for even a fortnight might lead to quite serious delays. Although Colombo pledged at the international level to provide full assistance and support for this excavation, it is now causing unavoidable setbacks by withholding the necessary funds. This pushes the excavation dangerously close to the monsoon season.
This decision is yet another chapter in Colombo’s ongoing duplicity.
